Joel Stein's article is ill conceived and poorly written. There may be some nuances in it that are important, but by trying to be shocking and attension grabbing, he has created a steaming pile of s**t.
That said, Dr. Shackleford's response drives me absolutely batshit. It is NOT patriotic to lie down and watch your countrymen die for something you believe to be immoral. It is not patriotic to stand behind an action you consider to equal to mass murder of innocents. If the actions are just, if the actions are moral, they will stand up to criticism because the criticisms cannot be true in the face of morality and justice. If you believe in your heart that the war is immoral and you stand behind the president as he goes to war, you are acting immorally. I am not against America because I do not support this war. To me that is like saying you were not a patriotic German if you didn't support Hitler. It is the only logical extension of that argument.