One of the definitions of “faux pas” is when a politician accidentally tells the truth.

Along those lines is this statement by Congressman Ron Paul.

I don’t know for sure that it’s legitimate, but I have no reason to think not, given other things that he’s said in the past. Without getting into the details of what he said (you can go read it yourself if this post piques your curiousity), I want to reiterate one metapoint.

The other day, I made a huge “gaffe” on national TV: I told the truth about the crimes of the U.S. government. As you can imagine, the ceiling fell in, and a couple of walls too. Congressman are supposed to support the government, I was told. Oh, it’s okay to criticize around the edges, but there are certain subjects a member of the House of Representatives is not supposed to bring up. But I touched the real “third-rail” of American politics, and the sparks sure flew.

A congressman has no duty to support “the government,” at least if that means supporting every action that every government employee takes, or even supporting every law or agency that has been created by an out-of-control Congress. A congressman’s (and President’s) duty, and oath, is to support the Constitution. While I disagree with Congressman Paul on a variety of issues (though I’m sure nowhere near as many as most people do), he is one of the few people in Congress who gets that significant difference.