"But their #1 priority should always, always, be respecting the Constitution, and not trying to skirt around it. And I think they've forgotten all about that long ago."
That's the irony of the whole American security apparatus. They are in place, nominally, in order to protect American citizens rights to live with the freedoms inherently granted to them by the Constitution.
This doesn't detract from your point, but I thought I should correct something just because there are a lot of overseas readers here who might not be very familiar with the US Constitution:
The Constitution does not grant freedoms to citizens. Instead, it delegates specific powers from the citizens to the federal government.
That's the irony of the whole American security apparatus. They are in place, nominally, in order to protect American citizens rights to live with the freedoms inherently granted to them by the Constitution.