 Ours is a nation obsessed with depicting and interpreting itself, usually with the boldest of brushstrokes. We've claimed an American way, an American creed, an American idea, an American experiment, and an American dream, even an American century. Our political battles do not center only on who is right or wrong, but also on whose positions best reflect the nation's professed values. That's not who we are, is our harshest of burdens.