For a piece of paper that’s celebrating its 223rd birthday on Friday, the U.S. Constitution has shown a great deal of staying power and modern relevance. Everyone seems to be in love with the Constitution these days, from arch-conservatives to bleeding-heart liberals.

Political movements have wrapped themselves in its words. The banner at the top of the website for the upcoming 2010 Virginia Tea Party Convention proudly proclaims "The Constitution Still Matters."

A philosophical opposite and long-time bane of some conservatives, the American Civil Liberties Union, defines itself as "our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country." Tea Party groups and the ACLU are both fond of handing out copies of the Constitution—a rare instance of accord.

At the same tim...