“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” - Theodore Roosevelt

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." - U.S. Const. amend. XIV § 1

[The President] shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." - U.S. Const. art. II, § 1

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others [rights] retained by the people." - U.S. Const. amend. IX

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." - U.S. Const. amend. I

"in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its [the Constitution's] powers, ... further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government" - the First Congress of the United States

"But when you come to our civil service, we serenely fill great numbers of our minor public offices with ignoramuses ... We hope to make worth and capacity the sole requirements of civil service, in the place of the amount of party dirty work the candidate has done." - Mark Twain

The intent of the constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."