Fareed Zakaria Suggests U.S. Take a Cue From Iceland: Change the Constitution

Changing the Constitution isn't an odd suggestion. We have, after all, done it 27 times. But suggesting that the U.S. should take a cue from Iceland, which has opened up changing its constitution to Twitter and Facebook, is odd. That's what CNN's Fareed Zakaria just did. And he made sure to take some shots at our founding document and the Founding Fathers.

"The nation decided it needed a new Constitution and it's soliciting ideas from all of Iceland's 320,000 citizens with the help of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube," Zakaria says and writes. "This social media method has worked. Ideas have been flowing in. Many have asked for guaranteed, good health care. Others want campaign finance systems that make corporate donations illegal. And some just want the country to make shark finning illegal."

So far, that's not too bad (besides the overt liberal agenda suggestions). But then he goes on to talk about our Constitution. And he doesn't give it a glowing assessment:

By contrast, any talk of revising or revisiting the U.S. Constitution is, of course, seen as heresy. The United States Constitution was, as you know, drafted in a cramped room in Philadelphia in 1787 with shades drawn over the windows. It was signed by 39 people.

America at the time consisted of 13 states. Congress had 26 senators and 65 representatives. The entire population was about one percent of today's number - four million people.

America was an agricultural society, with no industry - not even cotton gins. The flush toilet had just been invented.

These were the circumstances under which this document was written.

To be fair, he does go on to call it an "extraordinary work." But that seems more like calling someone ugly and then telling him later that he's a good-looking kind of ugly.

As Glenn Beck mentioned on radio, Zakaria seems to be stirring up some interesting ideas. Rather than simply suggesting amending the document, he seems to be planting some other sees. By referencing the cool and hip use of social media, and using the imagery of the document being signed by an elite group of people with the blinds closed, he gives the idea of the Constitution being outdated and a thing of the past.

Sure, he later denies that he's suggesting starting "anew." But by calling on amendment suggestions via social media and then portraying the Constitution as old and dusty, it seems the damage is already done. Watch below:

By the way, maybe someone should tell Zakaria that we already have a way for citizens to suggest amendments -- it's called talking to your representatives.

You can read Zakaria's monologue here, and see what his amendment suggestions.