Yes, the Hal, Barry and Bruce make (IMO) the Hal statements in Cry for Justice... less good. But I don't care for Cry for Justice, myself.
And you're right, there's no one way to explain every story. It's really a kind of big mess, with every writer using Batman in different ways. I actually think he gets used more often than Superman and I hate the most when he's the big bad Daddy Batman or whatever who the underling hero has to prove himself to or be dismissed by. I'm not saying that always happens in the stories you're mentioning but I do think it happens a lot and it's very much not my favorite story situation.