Civic Witness Series: Questions from the Attic, is founded on a simple premise: the people living through democratic erosion have questions the ‘experts’ aren’t addressing; it is inspired by and in honor of Adia in the Attic. Those questions matter because they provide an opportunity for sharing and documenting what democratic erosion feels like to people living through it. We don’t pretend to have “The Answer” to these questions, but we hope to stimulate the conversation her questions have prompted.
What does healthy patriotism actually look Like in 2026?
The greatest test of patriotism may come not when America is attacked from abroad, but when Americans disagree over how much power their own government should possess.
In 2026, Americans are debating the limits of presidential power. Recent Supreme Court cases have raised questions about the authority of the president, Congress, federal agencies, and the courts. Behind these legal disputes lies a larger question: How much power should any president possess?
Although today’s debate often centers on Donald Trump, the consequences extend beyond his presidency. Powers established today may be exercised by future presidents, regardless of political party. This debate raises a fundamental question: What does healthy patriotism actually look like in a constitutional republic?
America Was Built Around Distrust of Concentrated Power
The American experiment began with a rebellion against concentrated authority. The Declaration of Independence asserted that government derives its power from the people. The Constitution established a stronger national government while dividing authority among Congress, the president, and the courts.
James Madison explained the challenge in Federalist No. 51: Government must possess sufficient power to govern while remaining capable of controlling itself. Our constitutional system was not designed around obedience to individual leaders. It was designed around institutions, competing authorities, and protections for individual liberty.
George Washington demonstrated this principle through his actions. After commanding the victorious Continental Army, he surrendered his military commission. Later, after serving two presidential terms, he voluntarily left office. Washington understood that leadership sometimes requires surrendering power rather than accumulating it. His example helped establish a tradition of peaceful transitions that remains central to American constitutional government.
Patriotism Is Not Political Loyalty
Patriotism begins with love of country and concern for its future. Problems arise when that love becomes confused with unconditional loyalty to a political party, movement, or individual leader.
No president owns America. No political party represents every American. Administrations are temporary; the constitutional system is intended to endure. An American can support President Trump and be patriotic. Another can strongly oppose him and be equally patriotic. The same principle applied under Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, and their predecessors.
The Constitution protects the rights of Americans regardless of their political beliefs. Those protections do not depend on which party controls the White House. Healthy patriotism therefore requires distinguishing between loyalty to our country and loyalty to the individuals temporarily entrusted with governing it.
The Forgotten Leadership Quality: Restraint
Americans admire decisive leaders. Yet an equally important leadership quality is knowing when not to exercise all the power available. The Constitution establishes formal restraints through elections, congressional authority, judicial review, federalism, and separation of powers. Our system also depends on traditions and norms that guide leaders when the law does not provide every answer.
Restraint is not weakness. It reflects an understanding that constitutional government must endure beyond any administration. The most important test is straightforward: Would I support this governmental power if my political opponents controlled it?
Republicans who favor expanded presidential authority should consider whether they would accept those same powers in the hands of a Democratic president. Democrats advocating limits on President Trump should consider whether they would support those same limits on a future Democratic president.
If we defend a governmental power only when our preferred party exercises it, we are defending a political advantage rather than a consistent constitutional principle. The precedents established today become part of the constitutional landscape inherited by tomorrow’s leaders.
Patriotism Does Not Require Silence
American history demonstrates that criticism of government can reflect a commitment to the nation’s founding principles. Frederick Douglass challenged America to reconcile slavery with the Declaration of Independence. Susan B. Anthony demanded political equality for women. Martin Luther King Jr. appealed to America’s founding ideals while exposing the distance between those promises and the realities of racial discrimination.
Their message was clear: America must live up to its own principles. Healthy patriotism protects the right to disagree while recognizing that political opponents remain fellow citizens. It requires respect for evidence, lawful institutions, and the rights of people whose views we reject.
Disagreement with an election, court decision, or government policy does not automatically make the entire constitutional system illegitimate. A healthy republic requires both the freedom to disagree and the willingness to remain part of the same country afterward.
What the Military Oath Teaches Us
Members of the armed forces swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution—not a president, political party, or ideology. The president is Commander in Chief, and military officers must respect lawful civilian authority. At the same time, the armed forces are expected to remain politically neutral. Presidents come and go. The oath remains.
Most Americans never take that oath, but citizenship carries a related responsibility. The Constitution belongs equally to those who support the president and those who oppose him. The military serves all Americans. Country is not government. Government is not party. Party is not president. Disagreement is not disloyalty. These distinctions are essential to constitutional government.
A Patriotism Strong Enough to Restrain Power
Healthy patriotism means loving America without pretending it has never been wrong. It means respecting the presidency without placing presidents beyond criticism, supporting the military while keeping it outside partisan politics, and defending constitutional rights even when they protect people whose views we dislike. It means accepting legitimate election results, seeking reliable information, and recognizing that political opponents remain fellow Americans.
Benjamin Franklin reportedly described the Constitutional Convention’s achievement as “A republic, if you can keep it.” The responsibility for keeping that republic belongs to every generation. America needs a patriotism confident enough to question its leaders, disciplined enough to accept constitutional restraints, and strong enough to survive the peaceful transfer of power. Healthy patriotism means putting country above party and constitutional principle above political advantage—even when doing so requires restraining the leaders we support.
Maj. Gen. John L. Barry, USAF (Ret), served 30 years of military service as a White House Fellow, Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, fighter combat wing commander and Executive Director of the Columbia Space Shuttle mishap. He is an author and national security and education leader. His writing focuses on leadership, constitutional governance, national security, and the lessons history offers today’s leaders. He is a member of The Steady State.
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and preserving America’s national security institutions.
This is as good an explanation of fundamental American democratic principles as it gets: Thank you. (One might add that there is a flip side: Unhealthy Patriotism means calling those who disagree with you "communists" who "hate" America and deserve to be "hanged." We're seeing too much of that lately --- and it's coming from the Oval Office and the president's subservient followers on Capitol Hill. Something to think about, come our Nov. 3 mid-terms.)
If you all want to follow more, check out my website johnlbarry.org (new book "Power & Peril") and "Flashback Forward" on Substack