See my reply below.

But in short, I think its not so much a cult as an outddated fantasy. We're taught to resist external invasions as a people's militia; that's what the Founding Fathers mean to people, kicking out foreign kings. It's what the pledge allegiance meant to me, along with valuing our own diverse ideals and disunity.

...Not to resist internal propaganda.

Hence, that philosophy is easy to exploit internally. On the flip side, it doesn't work when we have to look at ourselves so critically. The patriotism itself isn't a cult, but it's fertile ground to get one rolling when there are enemies to point to.