Funny, I was thinking about this kind of thing just last night. Specifically, my boyfriend always tries to 'correct' me when I use the first-person-plural when referring to things the US as a country did. I think it's about owning up to responsibility, and far better than saying "They", which implies some kind of discreet, continuous super-cabal behind everything a country does.

There might be a whole post in there, if I could get off my butt.