In 1813, the great Southern conservative John Randolph of Roanoke knew as much:

"The people of this country, if ever they lose their liberties, will do it by sacrificing some great principle of government to temporary passion. There are certain great principles, which if they are not held inviolable, at all seasons, our liberty is gone. If we give them up, it is perfectly immaterial what is the character of our sovereign; whether he be King or President, elective or hereditary – it is perfectly immaterial what is his character – we shall be slaves – it is not an elective government which will preserve us."

Randolph voiced these opinions during the War of 1812, a war begun after the British had caved to American demands, but went on anyway as delusions of imperial greatness (i.e., the conquest of Canada) drove democratic demagogues like Henry Clay to clamor for war. In that war, as with every American war since, American liberties were diminished in the name of military security, taxes were raised, the currency was devalued, and the Constitution was ignored.

Whether in wartime or not, though, Randolph’s words are prescient, for they illustrate that there is no defense for freedom other than vigilance against the State. Randolph figured that this vigilance would go right out the window as soon as some "man of the people" came along who could convince the mob to trust him – to sacrifice great principles to temporary passion. And of course, this is exactly what has happened.

As Randolph knew, it is "immaterial what is the Character of our sovereign." Today, many Americans – even the really decent ones – prefer to just give the President a pass because he’s supposedly a good man.