[L]et’s be clear: The anthem and the flag symbolize the ideal of equality that America stands for, not those who failed to live up to those ideals. If you take a knee during the national anthem, you are not protesting racism in your country, you are protesting your country. There is a difference. You are not objecting to an evil that exists in America; you are saying America is evil. You are not saying we still have a long way to go in our journey toward full equality. You are saying that this country — where majorities twice voted to elect a black president — is fundamentally racist. And you are saying that the American flag and the American military are symbols of oppression.

Marc A. Thiessen, Kneeling during the anthem isn’t protesting against racism. It’s protesting against America.

Let’s be clear: Marc Thiessen isn’t a mind-reader or an infallible guide to symbolism. He’s a token conservative at the Washington Post, hired to say provocative things, Fox-newsish things. His ilk is one reason why I’m unbothered that none of the conservatives at the New York Times support Donald Trump: Trumpism has yet to find an articulation that is defensible.