Maddow Wrongly Claims 'Constitution Doesn't Have A Preamble'

Did you know the United States Constitution doesn't have a Preamble?

Well, that's what the oh so arrogant, high and mighty MSNBC host Rachel Maddow told her audience Thursday night.

In a segment attacking the attendees of yesterday's "House Call" protests on Capitol Hill, Maddow chided Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) for claiming he was quoting from the Preamble of the Constitution (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, relevant section at 2:05, file photo):

RACHEL MADDOW, HOST: Congressman Akin was not alone in stumbling over a little basic U.S. history. He had some good company in the top Republican in the House, Minority Leader John Boehner.

(VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BOEHNER (R-OHIO.): This is my copy of the Constitution. And I'm gonna stand here with our Founding Fathers who wrote in the Preamble, "We hold these truths to be self-evident..."

(END VIDEOTAPE):

MADDOW (waving hands): Nnn, Constitution doesn't have a Preamble. Not. Nope. Stop it. That would be the Declaration of Independence. Ooh.

Actually, Rach, the Constitution DOES have a Preamble, and I doth quote:

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, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

As you liberals so love Wikipedia, in its section titled "Preamble to the United States Constitution":

The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the fundamental purposes and guiding principles that the Constitution is meant to serve. In general terms it states, and courts have referred to it as reliable evidence of, the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding the Constitution's meaning and what they hoped it would achieve (especially as compared with the Articles of Confederation).

Nice call, Rach!

Of course, if she or her crack fact-checking team at MSNBC had done their homework, they would have found "We hold these truths to be self-evident" does indeed come from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence and not the Preamble to the Constitution as Boehner said.

Alas, when one fact checks, especially as arrogantly as Maddow does, you should be completely accurate or you end up looking like a bigger jackass than the person you're mocking.

That oughta wipe the smug, condescending smirk off her face!