'08 Candidates Must Sign the American Freedom Pledge

Is it still America if the president ignores or deliberately eviscerates the Constitution?

And if the president himself is doing this, who will protect the Constitution?

This is the oath of office: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

On what history will confirm was a very dark day for the nation, George W. Bush took that oath. Within a year, he had launched a methodical effort to undermine the very document he swore he would protect.

He has suspended habeas corpus, tapped the phones and opened the e-mails of Americans without warrants, defied congressional subpoenas, and declared through "signing statements" that the administration can pick and choose which parts of the bills passed by Congress to execute. No president in history has come close to these actions.

We have to get it that this is not a set of departures from business as usual in a working democracy. This is becoming a different game with a different set of rules.

Is it theoretical if America disembowels its own Constitution? Or do those sets of checks and balances protect you and your family -- on the most personal, visceral level? With every violation of the Constitution that the president engineers -- in the face of a craven, compliant Congress -- you and your family face greater risks. The president says he can imprison ANY AMERICAN CITIZEN HE WANTS TO IMPRISON on his say-so alone. Today it is a bona fide `terrorist' -- but let's notice that now environmental activists who targeted property, not people, are being called "terrorists."

History shows that the definition of "terrorist" -- enemies of the state, traitors, and "saboteurs," which has just made its predictable appearance in the arsenal of the White House's more extremist allies -- metastasizes when there is a power grab intended to close down a society or crack down on a democracy movement; eventually such language and the laws that go with it target critics, dissidents, opposition leaders. Now he can seize the assets of those who object to his prosecution of the war in Iraq and has new powers to declare a state of emergency.

History demonstrates unequivocally that these are the things that would-be despots always do when they want to shift the system away from democracy and toward a repressive regime. When a commentator says "tyrant" or "despot" in a democracy, he or she is being rhetorical; we have to get it that these kinds of strategies are literally classical steps in the closing down of democracies and that we have to start to understand such language technically and not rhetorically.

Yes, even here. Yes, even now. As we watch. As we try to figure out what to do.

At this critical time in our nation's history, when the very foundation of our democracy is under attack, we must be certain that the next president will be constrained by the checks and balances of a living Constitution. It is hard to overstate the danger to us if he or she is not. And citizens have to confront what they must do when an acting president assaults the very rule of law he has sworn to defend.

Toward this end, the American Freedom Campaign, a new grassroots and grasstops democracy movement, has asked each of the presidential candidates to sign the American Freedom Pledge. It reads:

"We are Americans, and in our America we do not torture, we do not imprison people without charge or legal remedy, we do not tap people's phones and emails without a court order, and above all we do not give any President unchecked power.

"I pledge to fight to protect and defend the Constitution from assault by any President."

Any candidate unwilling to sign this pledge during the campaign clearly does not deserve -- or cannot be trusted -- to be our next president. A sitting president who will not adhere to this commitment should be confronted.

A couple of days ago, while blogging on Daily Kos, Elizabeth Edwards, in response to a question about whether her husband would end the abuses of executive power undertake by the Bush administration, provided the following response:

"None of the nonsense of avoiding constitutional and legal requirements for executive branch activities by issuing executive orders.

None of these signing statements intended to undermine legislative intent.

None of the refusal to enforce laws that have been passed.

Under John, the constitution returns."

Thank you, Mrs. Edwards, for those heartening words -- but words are easy in a presidential campaign, and leadership is harder. Congress is sitting it out or rolling over when this fight is brought to its doorstep -- leaders are confiding off the record that without a grassroots movement to press them into action, they can't resist these encroachments because they are afraid of being tarred as "soft on terror."

Every period of repression that led to a closed society has used the threat of an external enemy to strip citizens of liberties, and history will judge such leaders harshly. Meanwhile, let me invite Mrs. Edwards to urge her husband to make good on her faith in him -- let me invite him to do it right here on the front page of the Huffington Post.

Mr. Edwards, will you prove your leadership and your fitness to guide this nation by being the first of the candidates to sign the American Freedom Pledge? If so, will you then publicly challenge the other candidates to do so?

If you are the first presidential candidate to take the pledge here on this page, the 10,000 Americans who signed the pledge in its first 10 days -- and all other Americans who honor the Constitution - will applaud you. You will deserve our gratitude.

If not, why not?

I look forward to your response. Within a week. Here. Or your wife's -- on your behalf.

As for the rest of the Huffington Post's readers -- we need your help in leading this charge. "They" -- the political classes, the pundits, Congress -- are not going to redeem the rule of law without you. You have to save your own country now.

The American Freedom Campaign has set up an action page so that you can send a quick e-mail to the presidential candidates, urging them to sign the pledge.

The White House needs to hear that it can't get away with violating our system. That those who commit crimes against the Constitutional must be held accountable by the American people.

Congress needs to hear our contempt for their inaction and our demand that they act boldly in a time of crisis.

We need to hear each other and remember that the first American revolution was begun by a handful of people who saw tyranny, called it by its proper name and took action.

Comments

[Wickywoo]

Include the words "Resignations are not good enough, criminals be they elected or appointed, current or former, are prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as an example to future lawmakers"

[Kundera]

sign a pledge, take an oath.......

hmmm, back in the "bad ol' days" lefties hated the idea of such a thing.
How dare you make us sign an oath to declare our loyalty to the USA?
Now you want oaths to be signed to declare loyalty to the constitution?
It's like free speech: good for lefties bad for righties.

[Chris]

Naomi

No president in history has come close to Bush's actions?

Lincoln susepnd haebus corpus & FDR imprisoned japanese americans.

You atryign to say those are not similar to the acts of Bush?

[DaDenMan]

Well, its not like they can say "I have not studied this in full nor read it, so I can't in good faith sign it" Because they have not READ anything they have signed in the last SIX Years. If they had, we wouldn't NEED this type of action.

[Elias Maxwell]

When you swear to defend and protect the Constitution as your primary job description, that should be enough.

It is outrageous to think that we have to get candidates to sign such a pledge. We as citizens should expect no less from anyone who we expect to lead us.

Defense of the Constitution is paramount for anyone who believes that government derives it's power from the people. We the people need to take a more active role in educating ourselves and making sound voting decisions based in fact, not rhetoric.

[booker52]

It's called Bu$h by passing the Congress & the Senate and writting his own laws. He thinks he can write his own laws and sign them. There by giving us and them the finger!!!

[milo9]

At least this proposal would put the civil liberties issue "on the table". To their shame, the Democratic candidates have had nothing to say on the matter during the debates.

[RickO]

We have forgotten what the job description of the president was orignally intended to be.

The American president was never supposed to be a "ruler". The president is supposed to be the chief operating officer, in effect, whose role is to carry out the will of Congress (i.e., the people).

All this "unitary executive" bullshit was never the intention of the framers. The intent of the presidency was much weaker than it actually is today.

I think we should amend the oath of office by adding the words "...and carry out the will of the people".

[eyeswideopennow]

"I really wanted to comment to tell you how impressive your sensible answers and calm demeanor on Hardball amplified how absolutely crazed Melanie Morgan and the rest of the Bushies have become."

Melanie,what happened on that show? Did that crazy blond get so nuts that she just hung-up her connection, cuz it went black-out, and I could hear Chris Matthews sputter something like, "Jeez...". Then,when it was rebroadcasted later, there was no black-out, only a new happy ending kinda show. It was much more interesting before the edit.

[dragn1]

Since I am in somewhat of a sarcastic mood I hope you will forgive the tone of this post but since you are asking candidates to pledge to uphold their oaths of office maybe while you are at it you would ask the candidates to impeach judges who do not uphold theirs. I know this is a lot to ask since the majority of social ills visited upon this country in the last 40 years were done so with a wink and a nod from the judiciary. Please understand I believe in the legislative process and am concerned when I see it subverted by judges that want to use foreign law or rewrite the constitution in their own words. If you want to add to the constitution do so, if you want to subtract do so there are paths for each. Do not ask a judge to do what you cannot do at the ballot box.

[dandman]

Hey morondude, you have got to be kidding. What your boy Bush has done is without precident. There is absolutely no way you can provide cover for this reptile. do us all a favor and put down the kool aid.

[WilliePilgrim]

Oh yeah..those guys who are running for president wouldn NEVER go back on a pledge for cryin' out loud...or welch on a bet or even re-consider legislation when it negatively impacts their personal wealth. C'mon. Get real...a pledge? How can we do that when we don't even discuss the real issues at stake when it comes to consitutionality. Don't we first have to discuss states' rights? The proposal for a public pledge sounds great in a kids comic book on civics...which is where I suspect the level of sophistication on this idea both began and should end. Let's get the government out of our personal lives first, then we can discuss how to rationally deal with the big issues of representation.

[aurelio23]

If there is a God watching events in the USA, He or She will punish that fifty percent of Americans who voted for George W. Bush and his minions.
No president should get away with murder and the Iraq invasion is just that. 50 percent of the blame rests on the conscience of those citizens who voted for the man.
Has God been paying attention?

[seasalt]

You might want to watch where you're flinging the fire and brimstone.

My elderly mother voted for Bush. Now she deeply regrets her vote. She wishes for a time machine so she could go back and change her vote.

People made mistakes and are ready to do better next time. Why alienate them?

[aurelio23]

Signing a pledge, as suggested here, is an empty gesture. Absurd, childish, useless. Who remembers the LOYALTY OATH in the forties and fifties? I don't but have learned about it from many sources.
Next, they will be asking for emblems on the shoulders, tattoos, and ultimately uniforms for the American Youth, the American Citizen, the American Retiree, etc. Nich war?

[Sariputra]

I would love to see that pledge offered to Hillary Clinton. I doubt that she has the courage to sign it. But maybe she would surprise everyone for once and show some backbone.