Missing the point

I only half-watched the Las Vegas debate so I missed an exchange between Chris Dodd and Wolf Blitzer in which Blitzer asked Dodd which was more important: human rights or national security. Dodd’s answer was, to this liberal, very disturbing.

BLITZER: What is more important, human rights or national security?

DODD: Obviously, national security, keeping the country safe.

When you take the oath of office on January 20, you promise to do two things, and that is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and protect our country against enemies both foreign and domestic. The security of the country is number one, obviously [emphasis mine and WTF?].

BLITZER: All right. OK.

No, no, no Wolf, it is not OK. That is completely and utterly wrong. The Constitution is always the most important thing. I really like Dodd but his answer certainly gives me pause. I don’t know what he was thinking but I hope that if he took a minute to ponder his response, he would reconsider.

There have been may great quotes expressing the desire for freedom: Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty or give me death”; Benjamin Franklin’s “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” are but a couple. But the one that sprung to my mind is from Jimmy Cliff’s masterpiece The Harder They Come:

And I keep on fighting for the things I want
Though I know that when you're dead you can't
But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave

Hat tip to DevilsTower over at DailyKos