BUSH CALLS THE CONSTITUTION "A G**D*** PIECE OF PAPER"

Thanks to Dave at spacecoastweb for the heads up.

Capitol Hill Blue reported last Friday that during a meeting last month with Republican congressional leaders regarding renewing some of the more controversial portions of the Patriot Act, President Bush copped a first class attitude. From Doug Thompson's report of December 9:

GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

Thompson wrote that the outburst was confirmed by at least three individuals who were present for the meeting.

Bush is not the only one who disparages the document which, for nearly 230 years, has been the defining cornerstone of our government. Again, from Mr. Thompson:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, while still White House counsel, wrote that the “Constitution is an outdated document.”

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says he cringes when someone calls the Constitution a “living document.”

“"Oh, how I hate the phrase we have—a 'living document,’” Scalia says. “We now have a Constitution that means whatever we want it to mean. The Constitution is not a living organism, for Pete's sake.”

As a judge, Scalia says, “I don't have to prove that the Constitution is perfect; I just have to prove that it's better than anything else.”

Interesting to hear such (dis)respect for the document which every federal official --- including the President --- takes an oath to "preserve, protect, and defend".