I don't think anyone is arguing that bunting is bad, rather that giving yourself up intentionally to advance a runner doesn't (mathematically) increase the chance that the runner will score and that your team will win. It's a pretty well studied sabrmetric topic, actually. A bunt single on the other hand is a thing of beauty and finesse, and is just as good as any other single (at least in situations where one would try to bunt for a base hit).

The bigger issue with AL vs. NL is that the NL is stupid and should get with the times ;) It's incredibly not fun to watch pitchers hit (unless you're Carlos Zambrano [or Dontrell Willis for you Marlins fans], what are you even doing in a batter's box). It's a hole in the lineup, and even worse, it forces managers to pull pitchers early. To me, this game management isn't interesting; it's just dull. Why wouldn't we want to watch the best athletes playing their best? Doesn't make sense. And it also Doesn't make sense for different teams to have different sets of rules. If pitchers are to hit, then pitchers should hit, or vice versa. The fact that AL teams have to go into NL parks and all of a sudden have their pitchers hit is one of the dumbest things is professional sports. But this is a digression that I could go on for way too long.