A "goddamned piece of paper"?

OK, not a British issue, but US President Bush has allegedly referred to the US Constitution as a "goddamned piece of paper", when questioned by Republican parties members in reference to the Patriot Act.

Supposedly, some members of the Republican party visited the White House to raise some concerns regarding the renewal of the Patriot Act. It's then that supposedly Bush made this remark.

If this is true, then I genuinely feel sorry for Americans. It denotes that their President isn't interested in upholding individual freedoms. The Founding Fathers (yes Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, et al) must be spinning in their graves, considering they designed the Constitution to limit the powers of politicians and government.

I suppose, yes, a constitution is ultimately just a "piece of paper". Nonetheless, it should not only act as a framework as to how a government operates. It should be a document which places curbs and restraints on politicians' power and clearly denotes the rights of the people.