The human capacity for self-deception is very great.
Most men when polled think they are handsome devils, even the ugly ones.
In fact, speech has always been less free in this country than we would like to believe. What De Tocqueville missed was that, in a two party state, insulting the President, if he is a member of the other party, is well within the permissible range of expression. While this may make us out to be comparatively free, compared to other countries where a statement like this may lead to harassment or death, there have always been many more ideas that it was not considered permissible to express. Few people fifty years ago, or today, would feel comfortable saying that Joe Stalin would make a good President. You can safely express yourself by waving an American flag, but not by burning one .