Who We Are

From a speech Barack Obama gave in Michigan on Monday

What I have also said is this: that when you suspend habeas corpus -- which has been a principle, dating before even our country, it’s the foundation of Anglo-American law -- which says, very simply, if the government grabs you, then you have the right to at least ask, 'Why was I grabbed?' and say, 'Maybe you’ve got the wrong person.'

The reason you have that safeguard is because we don't always have the right person. We don’t always catch the right person. We may think this is Mohammed the terrorist, it might be Mohammed the cab driver. You may think it’s Barack the bomb thrower, but it might be Barack the guy running for president.

The reason that you have this principle is not to be soft on terrorism, it’s because that’s who we are. That’s what we’re protecting. Don’t mock the Constitution! Don’t make fun of it! Don’t suggest that it’s un-American to abide by what the founding fathers set up! It’s worked pretty well for over 200 years!

For months, people have said to me that Barack Obama never says anything substantial, that it is all just "hope" and "change" and there is no there there, that I am just some cultish follower for supporting him. NO. I am supporting him because I love this country and the principles on which it was founded.

Of course, the first step in knowing the Constitution is reading it. I suspect a lot of us haven't looked at it, beyond reading those amendments near and dear to our hearts in order to win arguments, since high school. So, if you have a chance, please give it a read.