One of my ongoing minor peeves is to hear progressives suddenly embrace the genius of the Founding Fathers when it suits their purposes. During the debates over the Patriot Act, FISA, etc., liberals suddenly swooned over the genius of the Founders. But whenever the Constitution is an impediment to what they want, suddenly we need a living Constitution that changes with the times. Nowhere does this dynamic manifest itself more reliably than when conservatives propose an amendment to the Constitution, according to constitutional procedures. Suddenly liberals shriek about “tampering” or “tinkering” with the Constitution. And truth be told, for years, out of instinctive conservatism I’ve disliked constitutional amendments. But I’ve changed my mind. Hence, my column today.