John Nichols: Clinton Won't Commit to Renew Constitution

[marmar]

from The Nation:




CLINTON WON'T COMMIT TO RENEW CONSTITUTION...


Illinois Senator Barack Obama has finally signed the American Freedom Pledge, joining his fellow Democratic presidential candidates in encouraging the restoration of basic Constitutional principles after the battering they have taken during the Bush-Cheney era.

All the Democrats, that is, except New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

The effort to get presidential contenders to sign on the American Freedom Pledge has been promoted by organizations ranging from the Center for Constitutional Rights to Human Rights Watch, MoveOn.org , Amnesty International USA, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Campaign to Defend the Constitution, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and True Majority.

The pledge is anything but radical. It simply asks candidates to affirm a statement that 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 attack by any President."

The often embarrassingly cautious Obama campaign had been slow to sign on to the pledge. Earlier this week the American Freedom Campaign, which is promoting the pledge, revealed that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Alaska Senator Mike Gravel had signed the pledge, while former North Carolina Senator John Edwards and Delaware Senator Joe Biden had responded with supportive statements. After a release from the freedom campaign noted that Obama and Clinton had not committed to the Constitution, Obama's aides moved quickly.

Recognizing the value of distinguishing their candidate from Clinton, the front runner in most polls, they got Obama to sign the pledge.

The freedom campaign is promising to turn the heat up on Clinton and Republicans presidential contenders -- aside from Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who signed on to a similar American Freedom Agenda statement promoted by conservative defenders of the Constitution. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=239574

[Mojorabbit]

1. I am liking

Dodd better and better. There should be no hesitation on signing that statement.

[Trisket-Bisket]

2. To the Nation:

Senator Clinton doesn't need any of your help "renewing the Constitution".
For a printed on old grocery bag "magazine",I find your hubris laughable.

[babylonsister]

7. For a new DUer, to trash The Nation is laughable, as is your hubris. nt

[datadiva]

8. I totally agree with you Babylonsister

You'll go far trying to find a better truth teller than The Nation. And one who had the courage to print it before the 2000 election fiasco.

[babylonsister]

9. Thank you! I think this publication and their writers are treasures. nt

[roguevalley]

16. thank you for this. I love that magazine too. I wish someone

would love the Constitution like we do. I like Dodd. He's old school.

[robinlynne]

3. can't believe obama and clinton even hesitated. I want NEITHER.

(I was warming up to obama a bit recently, although not my first or second choice.)

[Trillo]

4. I'm glad that "issues" are being discussed

This is much more constructive than telling us with how many dollars the corporatist has voted.

[Jack Bone]

5. Rec'd

:kick: For a wake-up call to many!!

[msongs]

6. OP is false logic - not signing a piece of paper does not equal won't commit to those valuES NT

[superkia]

11. It would show people that they dont want that extra power if elected...

and for Clinton being the medias candidate, her not signing it is scary. She already feels she has won and probably just figures fuck the people, they are going to vote for me anyways. I wont be, my vote is for change, go Dennis Kucinich!!! Kucinich has been bringing up the attack on the constitution for a while now and wants the patriot act repealed. I don't see too many candidates willing to stand up and be presidential and speak for the people. I see some wealthy and powerful people hungry for more wealth and power. If we continue to vote these kind of people in, haliburton or KBR will have their detention camps that are already under contract, full in the United States and Blackwater will be policing our streets, rounding us up because as you know, they already have a $15 billion contract to fight the so called war on drugs. Sure, the war on drugs. All we need is a greedy powerful president to use martial law and we have no defense.


Please think about who you put in power, our children's future is at stake here. Things haven't been this bad in my lifetime and I don't see it getting better if we continue to let the wealthy and powerful pick our candidates.

[illinoisprogressive]

10. being a constitutional professor, Obama probably wondered if it was for real.

[roguevalley]

17. he is one graceful man, this one.

[Faryn Balyncd]

12. Should WE pledge to not support any candidate who will not commit to RESTORE the constitutution?

[jgraz]

13. Isn't there something in the oath of office about protecting the Constitution?

I wonder if Hillary will have a focus group before she swears (or affirms) to that part.

[autorank]

14. Maybe she digs torture? We're free to speculate since she won't sign this simple pledge.

What utter bull shit. These people with there, can't commit to get out of Iraq until 2013 - which is
a fucking crime in and of it self - and this kind of silliness; what a bunch of clowns.

Hillary, Barack, and Edwards are not the only Democrats running or about to run.


This is an out rage, but not really. It's predictable.

The 2013 crap is a surprise. Obamma and Hillary were mouthing 12-24 months, Edwards wasn't. Then
last week all three said, CAN'T BE SURE WE'LL BE OUT BY 2013.

What is their major malfunction?

:kick: & R

[Demeter]

15. That's a Brilliant Pledge!

And it's a sign of Really Bad Times that such a pledge is truly needed. Don't vote without it!

[citizen53]

18. What about her statement last October...

Last October, Clinton told the Daily News: "If we're going to bepreparing for the kind of improbable but possible eventuality, then it has to be done within the rule of law."

She said then the "ticking time bomb" scenario represents a narrow exception to her opposition to torture as morally wrong, ineffective and dangerous to American soldiers.

"In the event we were ever confronted with having to interrogate a detainee with knowledge of an imminent threat to millions of Americans, then the decision to depart from standard international practices must be made by the President, and the President must be held accountable," she said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/09/26/2007-09-26_hillary_flipflops_contradicts_bill___her.html

[Maribelle]

19. Hillary has committed to the real pledge:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Why do we want to beat up on any of the democratic candidates over what can be viewed as merely a symbolic gesture at best? A few people made up a nice pledge, that many can sign up for.

Why use a nice thing to cause more turmoil?

I don't understand this logic, truly.