Hey, while the semi-regular use of the 752 BF cabin on shorter domestic flights may take away from the "specialness" of an intercontinental BF flight, I'd still much rather have at least the opportunity to seek out the BF cabin on those shorter hops, because I fly those routes way more frequently than I fly internationally.
And I do prefer to seek out a widebody when I do go international, for the reasons you state, but if the only way to get from EWR to Stockholm nonstop on CO is on a 757, I'm perfectly happy. The service is still vastly differentiated from all domestic use of the cabin except transcons, so it still ends up being "special."