“Liberty is the possibility of doubting, the possibility of making a mistake, the possibility of searching and experimenting, the possibility of saying “No” to any authority -- literary, artistic, philosophic, religious, social and even political.”

Oh yeah!

The possibility of doing your own thinking?

almost accurate; a very good start, just missed by thaaaat much.

On this we can agree. That's a good sign.

That's an integral part, for sure, but it is not the only thing that Liberty is.

Sounds a little like "openmindedness" to be. The Republic crowd seems to think every thing was absolutely perfect at the founding at that the founders were some kind of mistake proof gods.

Not mistake proof Waffler. Simply men who had just fought to vanquish tyranny and establish a nation where individual rights reigned supreme. Moral men who enshrined liberty as the most basic of tenets. But...you wouldn't understand...

We must be particularly vigilant when those who would be our leaders masquerade as mistake-proof and error-free; when they only seek to subvert and defile the very foundations that originally gave us freedom.

Waffler, WHAT ? ? ? again your ad hominem is off topic and without merit. There are several here you would call "the Republic crowd" and, not an ill word was said. If "the Republic crowd" thought that everything was absolutely perfect at the founding they would not have agreed with the questioning of every thing and every one.

You must read what they wrote while trying to define, and draw up the founding papers. Look at the provisions for change. They knew that they were not perfect, but they did their best,

In its most sublime exemplification, Liberty is constituted of, and defined by, the unconstrained by ideology or prejudice right of the Sovereign Individual to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time and for the right reason, according to the dictates of his or her illumined by right reason conscience.

"The God that failed."? God cannot fail. Humans fail.