IMHO, patriotism isn't necessarily thinking your country is currently or always right, but rather thinking that the basis of the county's governmental system and society is valid, worthwhile, and good (regardless of how it may have been perverted since its inception).
This is actually something I had to give a fair bit of thought to, since, unlike most, I actually had to voluntarily choose citizenship in my country of residence (USA). It's far from perfect, but IMHO it has the ability to rapidly adapt, which is a very beneficial feature, and it was deliberately founded recently, meaning a clear set of principles were elucidated right from the get-go (Ok, if we ignore the whole Articles of Confederation nice guy-up) that are recent enough to be well-remembered.
Plus, well, the US is kind of the 800lb gorilla that sits wherever it wants in science; in spite of our crappy educational system, most of the great minds either are here, or trained here. So really, it's the best place for me, given my aspirations towards academia.
Mokele