A consensus to "liberally" allow fair use would mean nothing. Most things are subject to consensus, but the Foundation's been pretty clear on the matter, that fair use should be minimal if allowed at all. While that's open to some interpretation, "use liberally and wherever we legally can" is clearly in conflict with that resolution, so consensus or not it can't be done. An essential part of minimal use is that the fair-use content is irreplaceable, and also that it serve to substantially enhance the educational value of the article it's used in.
Several people have noted on en.wikipedia that consensus on this policy can not override Foundation resolution.
However, we have had several MASSIVE debates about how to interpret the words "minimal" and "significantly". Nobody agrees on the connotation of these words as it applies to our use of non-free media.
This is precisely one of the reasons I am asking for greater clarification.
-Durin