The President of the United States is charged with upholding and defending The Constitution of the United States of America before taking the office. It was with some surprise, then, that this sound bite of George W. Bush made its way into the media and, by extension, the popular consciousness. Or perhaps, given his well-known preference for national security over civil liberty, not so surprising. Why, then, would the president say such a trivializing thing about the Constitution — the very document which empowers his office and declares the very spirit of the American? The liberal media was quick to present their conspiracy theory of Bush's deep desire to remodel the United States government as Big Brother.

Did he even say it?

The quotation first appeared in an editorial for Capitol Hill Blue — not exactly an unbiased publication with enough reputation for the comment to be taken for granted. However, it seems as if the journalist has received three independent confirmations that the quote was indeed uttered during a meeting with the GOP over the USA PATRIOT Act extension. It is well-known that Bush has an unhealthy temper, and is prone to saying rash things. Perhaps the better question is, "If he did say it, did he really mean it?"

I cannot imagine, in the most radical parts of my mind, a press conference where the President, having been asked, "Is the Constitution just a piece of paper?" would say, "Yes." Not only would such an admission permanently damage his public approval rating (at least, I hope it would), it would not be consistent with the actions that he has taken during his presidency. Bush cannot recommend a constitutional amendment defining marriage as taking place between a man and a woman without a healthy respect for the Constitution itself. One does not merely walk into Iraq on the basis of "a goddamned piece of paper." As blinded as he is by faith, at times, he is not a completely irrational being.

At the same time, with news now coming to light that Bush authorized wire-tapping on international phone calls inside the United States, it does not require a leap of faith to recognize that upholding the spirit of the Bill of Rights is not highest on his priorities. The highest item on that list is national security — and to him it must seem like the various blocks on his power (as dictated by the Constitution) are standing between him and fulfilling his duty to protect the people of the United States.

In any case, the most sympathetic reading of this incident is simply that Bush lost his temper and overreacted. In turn and as expected, this reporter from an astoundingly liberal publication ran with it, instead of taking it for what it was — rash words spoken in the heat of the moment.

The article in question.