“I think it is a remarkable document … the original Constitution as well as the Civil War Amendments, but I think it is an imperfect document, and I think it is a document that reflects some deep flaws in American culture, the Colonial culture nascent at that time. And in that sense, I think we can say that the Constitution reflected an enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on until this day, and that the Framers had that same blind spot. I don’t think the two views are contradictory, to say that it was a remarkable political document that paved the way for where we are now, and to say that it also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day.”

If you want to hear the words spoken by the president himself, go to this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3

So, if you listen to that interview, according to Barack Obama it is a tragedy that the Court never interpreted the U.S. Constitution, a document he said was fundamentally flawed and “reflected the enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on until this day,” so as to force the redistribution of wealth to African-Americans. He called it “one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement” that we could not “break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution,” and noted that “the framers had that same blind spot.” At the time this interview on Chicago public radio took place, in 2001, he lamented that such change would likely not come from the judiciary and would have to come from legislation.

Is he talking about slavery and racism? Very possibly. And he would have merit in doing so — when I read writings by Jefferson and Washington and see that they decry slavery while at the same time keeping slaves, it makes me sad. Yes, I know that it was a fundamental facet of that economy, but it disappoints me nonetheless.

I do take heart, however, in knowing that slavery existed across the world for thousands of years and we were able to abolish it in less than a century after the Constitution was ratified. We were able to do that BECAUSE of the system of government and the fundamental protections of freedom and liberty set out in the very document Obama says reflected such inequity. And as for the civil rights movement — by God, there is a talented (but wrong) and intelligent (but wrong) black man sitting at the Resolute Desk, a man who along with his wife went to some of the best schools in the country, a man who worked his ass off and formed one of the most incredible campaign machines in history and rode it all the way to the White House. The era of inequity is over; because of the freedoms preserved by the Constitution, the opportunities are out there for people who want them.

Look, Obama and I look at our country and our founding documents in two very different ways. If you were to sit down and read the Constitution and some of the contemporaneous writings, Meat, I’d bet that you and I would look at those documents differently as well.

And that difference? I harbor no ill will toward him or toward you because of it. We’re different. Well, maybe him a little bit, as I don’t think he likes this country as it is, even though it was this country who made him what he is. At the core of it, though, we just have different perspective. It just so happens, though, that one perspective–erring on the side of limited government and maximum individual freedom–is closer to the ideas and ideals espoused by those who founded the country. Read Adams. Read Madison. Read Hamilton, even, a guy who wanted a more powerful federal government but understood the possible troubles which would come from it. Read our history as said and written by those who made it. And then look at what happened when we perverted those principles.

I don’t know your educational background, Meat. I don’t know anything about you. I’m guessing you’re an educated guy, because expletives and bitterness aside you seem to be able to write fairly well. However, I’m guessing that you’ve been looking at things from one perspective your entire life.

I’ve seen things from the other side. I covered the 2000 presidential election for a small daily newspaper AS A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT. I remember sitting through a taping of “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and thinking to myself that “gee whiz, that John McCain is a wingnut.” I’ve seen things from both sides, Meat, but the more I’ve read and the more I’ve studied the more confident I am that I’ve settled on the side of logic, fact and common sense rather than the side of emotion, irrationality and the nebulous idea of “justice.” I’m not saying that you’re somehow sheltered, Meat, but it sure seems to me like you could use a little seasoning.

(Ha! Meat … a little seasoning … totally unintentional but funny, if I do say so myself.)

Anyway, I’m procrastinating–thank you for helping me procrastinate–and I’ve gone on enough. There are also a whole lot of stuff like the above quote in one of Obama’s two books–I think it was Dreams From My Father, because I only skimmed the other one–but please don’t make me look it up, Meat. It’s late, buddy, and I got you your context.

Before I go, though, I am willing to admit that I was wrong in one sense — the words “deeply flawed” were never used. I could have sworn they were, and they might have been in another interview, but they weren’t used in the interview I was thinking of when I conjured up the quote. Instead, in this interview, Obama said that the document has “deep flaws” and that it is fundamentally flawed as a reflection of our culture. But come on, Meat, you’ve got to be able to do better than to get me on that.

I AM wrong occasionally. I am far too busy and post stuff far too hastily to be right all the time. You just have to get lucky and find the right spot. And if you catch me being wrong, like someone caught me being wrong with that whole missile defense logo thing, I’ll gladly cop to it. Running big, misleading headlines on Page One and corrections in 10-point font on Page A-17 is something done at the Old Gray Lady, not here. Not if I can help it.

Have a good night, Meat. If you respond and I don’t get to your inevitably expletive-laden response right away, it’s only because this weekend (and today, as the lead-up to it) is terrible for me.

Sweet dreams, sirloin.

Jeff

Watch him run, folks. Discussing all the facts is anathema to wingnuts.

They took it off the drudge report, and changed the article as not going to happen. They revised the story.

Do you have a link, Bobby?