The Rant
Bush on the Constitution: "Just a goddamned piece of paper"
By DOUG THOMPSON
Dec 9, 2005, 06:39



Last month, Republican Congressional leaders filed into the Oval Office to meet with President George W. Bush and talk about renewing the controversial USA Patriot Act.

Several provisions of the act, passed in the shell shocked period immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, caused enough anger that liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union had joined forces with prominent conservatives like Phyllis Schlafly and Bob Barr to oppose renewal.

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!"

I've heard from two White House sources who claim they heard from others present in the meeting that the President of the United States called the Constitution "a goddamned piece of paper."

The record shows the Bush Administration, the Constitution of the United States is little more than toilet paper stained from all the sh** that this group of power-mad despots have dumped on the freedoms that "goddamned piece of paper" used to guarantee.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, while still White House counsel, wrote that the "Constitution is an outdated document."

Put aside, for a moment, political affiliation or personal beliefs. It doesn't matter if you are a Democratic, Republican or Independent. It doesn't matter if you support the invasion or Iraq or not. Despite our differences, the Constitution has stood for two centuries as the defining document of our government, the final source to determine - in the end - if something is legal or right.

Every federal official - including the President - who takes an oath of office swears to "uphold and defend" the Constitution of the United States.

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 it's perfect; I just have to prove that it's better than anything else."

President Bush has proposed seven amendments to the Constitution over the last five years - a record for any modern President, including a controversial amendment to define marriage as a "union between a man and woman." Members of Congress have proposed some 11,000 amendments over the last decade, ranging from repeal of the right to bear arms to a Constitutional ban on abortion.

Scalia says the danger of tinkering with the Constitution comes from a loss of rights.

"We can take away rights just as we can grant new ones," Scalia warns. "Don't think that it's a one-way street."

And don't buy the White House hype that the USA Patriot Act is a necessary tool to fight terrorism. It is a dangerous law that infringes on the rights of every American citizen and, as one brave aide told President Bush, something that undermines the Constitution of the United States.

But why should Bush care? After all, the Constitution is just "a goddamned piece of paper."
(copied from here)

OK people, I've already had to remove 3 posts that were just petty bickering. No repeats please, especially over an article that is a year old.

When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it."

-Bill Clinton

Well then...with all due respect...why don't you close the thread...it is nothing but a hate piece on George Bush and what else is it intended to do? There is no discussion that can result in anything worthwhile coming from it.

While it's an interesting article, it still has a couple of holes in it.

"I've heard from two White House sources who claim they heard from others present in the meeting that the President of the United States called the Constitution "a goddamned piece of paper."

Who are the two and why are they not talking to the NYT or Washington Post? With a Democratic win last month, and Bush on the ropes (in both popularity and friends on the hill), it seems that the Dems would jump all over this to score the 'knockout' punch for 2008. This is very strong stuff to have it unverified. Pelosi should be all over this and I haven't read a peep about it from her. And one perosn saying he heard it from two others just makes it hearsay. The two others need to step forward and have the Dems back them. That is; unless the dems feel the same way.

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

I'm not saying he didn't say that, but this should come with a reference of where and when he said or wrote this. If he did, it should have been easy for Doug Thompson to list.

If it came with sources and references, it's powerful stuff.
Without them it's just skewed and questionable propoganda.

(disclosure: I'm a Libertarian-I hate both parties)

My deleted reply wasn't intended as a bit of petty bickering. I simply said, "prove it" to Joc that claimed this article was a lie. A bold statement without credibility in and of itself. If it is a lie, if it is inaccurate, then by all means close the thread. I learned of this piece in the Chat last night. Reading it over I thought it germane to the current State of American affairs, since we just had the November election wherein our Administrative dynamic has changed dramatically. Such as liberals majority in the Senate and Nancy Pelosi making history for becoming the first woman speaker of the house.

So if indeed our commander in chief, the President did remark in this way about that document that makes this country all that he seeks to command, it's valid for as long as he's in office, imo. We're told it is a responsibility of power to stand accountable, in a fair and free democracy. Well which is it!? Is that an absolute or transitory, depending on the partisans loyalty to the particular one in the particular pickle?! Is it a rule or are there exceptions, to implanting honor and integrity into the halls of power?! If he said it, he should be held to the fire for it. For goodness sake look at the fire that hits comedians that call the N word aloud in a comedy act! Look what happens to a drunken catholic Hollywood bigwig when he says the wrong things about jews! Or calls a woman sugar tits! How dare he, buy full page ad's in the Hollywood industry press and call for his head!

But hold a President of this country accountable for , (if he did) say the Constitution of this land is just a piece of paper!? Context! How did he mean that!? Is it true?

Well is it?! What if this is new news to some, like it was to me until last night!? Who's to declare there's a time frame to it's relevancy, if indeed he said it !? And if he did, isn't it always at issue since , of all things anyone in the public eye could say, as our President his words can be taken very personally!?

You all know why he has a problem with the constitution, most likely because it has too many big words.

Somebody heard somebody say they heard somebody say something? And that is credible?

The Democrats have been telling bold face lies about the Republicans...especially the president since before he was elected the first time...and it continues...and I'm sick of it...and I'm not going to let a hate piece go unanswered!

It isn't petty bickering...at least we agree on that...but all this thread is going to engage is bickering. It isn't factual...and so why post garbage heresay in the first place? My only point.

What's fascinating is that I Yahoo search "Bush Constitution goddamn piece of paper" and get over 1 million hits. Hearsay? Perhaps so after all. I researched for credible support on this report. One site claims the three witnesses to the statement now admit two were only repeating what they heard and one won't confirm or deny.

Maybe the story got started because Bush behaves as if that's exactly what he thinks of the Constitution. It's not a left wing conspiracy when Bush's record since he took office speaks for itself. Though there are Republicans that will say it is, I figure they're going to be heard and believed by those that refuse to see what's happening here. The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the passing of the U.S. Patriot act, "free speech" zones in a country that proudly boasts a 1st amendment and so much more.

I'd like a moderator to close this thread now.


If it's hearsay , the actual words not being credible, I don't want to support it's being dispersed into the public domain and registering as one more Yahoo hit. Though Bush's administrative record thus far says as much, whether a credible report of the words coming out of his mouth , can yet be found. And that would be a personal opinion, not a law.

See the thing is:

If Bush said what they said he said...well, wouldn't that make him just about the biggest hypocrite on the planet? Seeing how he opens every days cabinet meeting with prayer...and says that Jesus is his Hero. And how he says he cares about the country and the constitution...if he said that...he would be a HUGE hypocrite. But he isn't...GW is about as real a guy as you are going to find in politics. He isn't a hypocrite. But the Dems have to demonize everyone on the right ....and now they have their power back...so, the hit pieces like that must have worked.

Nonetheless...if you find a video...I'd love to hear it.

Actually there's a very deceiving one hosted at You tube, featuring Keith Oberman. Found if you keyword search: " Bush constitution goddamn piece paper" Though it's not what Bush on the record making that statement, the political analyst KO interviews is quite pointed about the implications of Bush's conduct while in office since 01. Lasts a little over 6 minutes, but is well worth the time, I think.

Yeah, no doubt, Keith Oberman is a hate-monger from the word go. I can't stand the vicious little freak!

Oberman was one of the few brave souls who dared tell some half-truths.
i honour him for doing that much.

Really? Are you being serious or attempting humor? I'm not sure.

If you are being serious...let's see...half-truths are lies...therefore, in your opinion, liars are brave and deserve honor for their lies.

If you are attempting humor....I'm missing it...

This could be applied to america and weapon sales, drug sales (pharmies and street drugs).
besides what freedoms are we abusing?

[fact]bush treats you like your a child. He is the frontman of a larger agenda that strives to expand american power and influence by an end justifies the means mentallity. [/fact]

Links? Sources?

That's one heckofa thesis there to be written boldly as 'fact' and expect educated adults to believe it. Most people will need more than that. I do like the HTML 'fact' tags around the quote though. Most cool.

If he's 'frontman', and the larger agenda is so all-powerful, why did they get beat in the last election? Convincingly beat. And probably will be beaten in the in the next as well? (Assuming the Dems don't do something really stupid). It seems self-defeating to do all of this with underhanded intentions knowing full well that it will destroy their crediblity in the long run and possibly set them even farther back, domestically and overseas. If 'expanding American power' was their true intentions; they failed miserably. 'They' have lost voter credibility here at home and caused hatred for America abroad. I just don't think that the 'underhanded' powers-that-be would be that stupid. Maybe there's something else at play here.

I really don't recall Bush treating me like a child. In fact, I've made a ton of money (quite deep into the 6 figures) under his 6 years of administration.



Ask Bill Clinton that...he's the guy that said it.

pnac. every speech he has given to the public. common sense. you dont need links or sources to prove the statement above... besides the PNAC which most of bush's administration heads are members of. pnac states that they believe american interest is not only good for america, but for the world, allowing america to remain, at undisclosed costs, the leading world power.




its no lie. 100% truth. he does talk to americans like children to protect the outflow of information and for other manipulative reasons as well. ignorant americans think he is just being his brain lacking self, but everyone by now should see through that and realized his words and vocab are controlled for political reasons. The PNAC and a breif history of bush's presidency covers the rest



thats easy. the agenda has to rise above the partisan nature of our halftruth democracy. to control the opposition you must be the opposition, and believe me, there are some snakes in the democratic party right now positioned as safeguards to the 'plan'.

they had to get beat. people are starting to get worried. they hated the misleading administration and the levels of their power. but powerful people have to expect this. they have to have some faith in the intellegence level of the general public. so they had to forsee the shift in power, which isnt the end of the world if propperly prepared.





rank/weight in the tax system is off point when it comes to his verbal communication to the general public. if not tax then what based on what fruit of Bush? iraQ contracts? deeper?

Um...yeah you do...

I agree. If he were a "liar" would lose his job real quick.



i don't think Recon is sayng Oberman is lying, just that there is more Oberman could say. Next to the rest of the talking heads on TV, Oberman is the only one speaking up. Oberman is the only one to tell the American people like it is. Did Rush tell you Oberman was a " hate-monger"? Just like he says Guantanamo Bay is a resort and sells "club gitmo" Tshirts? People are being murderd in there and its just a joke to scumbags like Rush Limbaugh, a chance to make a buck.

Its funny that you can defend W aginst him saying the Constitution is just a goddamn piece of paper but you don't care that he has almost destroyed the Bill of Rights. I believe thats called double think?