Well I recently did my first trip to the US, and having read several FT rants on the subject, was quaking in my shoes as I approached security in ORD. And was really, pleasantly surprised - yes, there was a queue, but it was moving briskly. Staff were polite, even courteous (more so than in the UK) bags were checked thoroughly (though could get very fed up at taking the laptop out of the bag - my one gripe - they either need better experienced staff or better equipment). And then I was through - and for the rest of the trip it didn't get much worse than that. Had one instance where they decided that there were too many metallic objects in my handbag (purse in American), but the lady searching it was friendly and professional. All in all, impressed, especially given how quickly it has all been set up.

But what was surprising was the difference in security on the UK - US sector, where check-in procedures were much stricter, and apparently, FAA mandated. Shouldn't they be doing that everywhere? There's absolutely no point doing it on international flights only.
And I am concerned that this means the US has still not fully learned what airline and airport security is about. But I hope that they have raised the bar enough!