http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204409004577158903842171724.html

In the article above, Wall Street Journal writer William McGurn observes that, perhaps, Obama's greatest accomplishment is inadvertently turning Americans toward the Constitution again.  Recently, I have heard similar comments from fellow conservatives, and - while this may be true - there is an even greater issue at stake.  Why has it taken so long for Americans to look toward the Constitution for answers?  No, actually, the better question is: why did we turn away to begin with?  In short, I believe it is because we got too comfortable and/or have been too consumed with obtaining what we perceived as comfort.  Since the 1950's, Americans have been chasing this thing called "the American Dream."  And, while most of us have a soft spot in our hearts for the June Cleaver's kitchen and Elvis' Blue Suede Shoes, we conveniently overlook the significant and detrimental changes that took place in that decade and those following.  In an attempt to recover from the war and prevent their children from ever having to suffer as they did, the WWII generation unintentionally began to emphasize personal comfort over community needs.  Eventually, this shift resulted in the Me Generation of the 1980s, and - ultimately - in the entirely self-obsessed generation in which I grew up.  The Constitution is nothing if it does not emphasize personal responsibility.  The American Dream is not about material or monetary success, but about each citizen having the opportunity to obtain this success.  Liberty is the only right for which were created. All else is extra.