Hillary Clinton's Unprincipled Freudian Slip...

Took place Wednesday, October 21st in a speech sponsored by the US Institute of Peace dealing with nuclear weapons. The Secretary of State declared:

Pursuing these goals is not an act of starry-eyed idealism or blind allegiance to principle. It is about taking responsibility to prevent the use of the world’s most dangerous weapons, and holding others accountable as well. The policies that take us there must be up to the task: tough, smart, and driven by the core interests of the United States. As the President has acknowledged, we might not achieve the ambition of a world without nuclear weapons in our lifetime or successive lifetimes. But we believe that pursuing this vision will enhance our national security and international stability.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's declaration to USIP reveals that she doesn't understand the meaning of the word principle.

Did any of her speechwriters consult Merriam-Webster Online?

Main Entry: prin·ci·ple
Pronunciation: \ˈprin(t)-s(ə-)pəl, -sə-bəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French principe, principle, from Old French, from Latin principium beginning, from princip-, princeps initiator — more at prince
Date: 14th century
1 a : a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption b (1) : a rule or code of conduct (2) : habitual devotion to right principles (a man of principle) c : the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device
2 : a primary source : origin
3 a : an underlying faculty or endowment (such principles of human nature as greed and curiosity) b : an ingredient (as a chemical) that exhibits or imparts a characteristic quality
4 capitalized Christian Science : a divine principle : god
— in principle : with respect to fundamentals (prepared to accept the proposition in principle)

In other words, one simply cannot have a blind obedience to principle, logically one must recognize a fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption in order to follow it. By definition, principled behavior is self-conscious, aware, enlightened...never blind. One might have a blind allegiance to prejudices, myths, superstitions, shibboleths, taboos, and even the Democratic Party--but not to a principle. By definition, a principle is antithetical to blind allegiance.

So, in this statement the Secretary of State has revealed what she thinks about matters of principle...which is what makes it a Freudian slip.