RESTful interfaces should NOT be ptotocol independent. While REST can be implemented over multiple protocols, a RESTful interface is by definition tightly coupled to the protocol it goes through. For instance REST specifies that we should use a uniform interface, but HTTP tells us what that interface is, and a REST over HTTP interface (the most common RESTful interface) has to respect that. I would be interested in where you read this fielding quote as this 'protocol inependence' and its problems is a common charge he makes agains WS-* if anything.