As you said, the President represents for better or worse America as a whole. There's a mighty big difference between what I said and what you're interpreting, much like religion, there's always room for error.
What I meant, was that the principles upon which the country was founded, and all the struggles and birthing pains of a relatively new nation are consistently forgotten by Americans as a whole. I know many Americans who failed American history, and yet foreigners know more about both their homeland and their "adopted" homeland than anyone else. It makes me sad when I see natural born Americans grumbling about having to take time off to go vote, while the store clerk they're bitching to would give dearly to be able to exercise the same power in his or her own country.
What makes me ashamed is the palpable aura if you will of entitlement that many Americans share. The country is over 300 million people censused (word?) with many more not counted. Of that, how many have fought in wars, defended their country, raised their voice in political rallies, or done anything to distinguish themselves from the herd?
From my vantage point, a good portion of the country is covered in sloth. How many total votes were there? about 35 million? That means it only took 1/10th the country's population to elect its president. And that was accompanied by voting failures, discrepancies and problems just like the last election. What if EVERY American suddenly had a surge of civic duty and voted?
The point I was trying to make was that I'm not ashamed to be a part of something that stands for honor, truth, liberty, freedom, virtue, and other good qualities. What I AM ashamed of is that these values over time have been twisted and perverted to serve political and business expediency and to turn massive profits for the privileged few. What so many Americans were duped on is that ole G.W. is just as rich, if not more so than Senator Kerry, even with his wife backing him? But they showed him off as a good ole boy, and it worked, because the majority of people that vote are under-educated, ignorant, or elderly, which says wonders about our education system in itself.
Here's an article that is both very funny and terribly tragic in its poignancy:
http://www.theonion.com/election2004/news_4045.php
P.S. Again, Gambit, I'm not trying to be venomous or anything. But while America is more than its offices, and the laws of the land, those two things represent America to both the nation itself and other peoples. I suppose the best way to put it is this:
If YOU were unhappy with the way things were being run, what options do you have? So far, I've been told to like it or leave it, which as we civilized forum goers know is a very bad attitude. Especially in a democracy. Of which we're supposed to have a voice.
A list of things I'm ashamed of as an American:
1. The impeachment trial of Bill Clinton - nothing more than a high priced episode of Jerry Springer, with Ken Starr as the ringleader.
2. The outcry over Janet Jackson's slip - a bunch of uptight people taking a stunt far too seriously.
3. The FCC crackdown on radio, and the further censoring of public media.
4. The Iraq war - good people are involved and dying on both sides, while no concrete plans are made for elimination of threats or extraction.
5. The actual banning of gay marriage in several states, directly contravening the Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness guaranteed to every citizen. A secular law based of religious principle.
6. The downward plunge the country is headed for, culturally, economically, and heck every factor that matters. Freedom is not free, and we must all at one time make a stand against tyranny and oppresion, but what are your choices when your fight (such as gay marriage) is overwhelmingly unpopular? Should all homosexuals move out of the country if they don't like it? Rediculous.
7. The fact that even though we're an enlightened democracy, our leaders are still old white men groomed for office, who have no real care for their constituents beyond how much they can help pad their wallets.
I'm not saying America is the worst country, compared to many its the best, but if we're going to set ourselves as the moral and cultural bastion of the world, we should check to make sure our accounts are not bankrupt in those areas first.
[edit] P.P.S. I'm also pretty sure Clinton during his eight years never tried to pass legislation that would abolish the civil rights of a specific group of people. Which is what Bush and his cabinet of neo-conservative Christians are trying and succeeding at doing. There was another man in history, famous for his persecution of a certain group of people within his own country's population, but I won't mention the H-word out loud.