I, (candidate), hereby pledge that if elected
President of the United States I will undertake the following to
restore the Constitution’s checks and balances, to honor fundamental
protections against injustice, and to eschew usurpations oflegislative
or judicial power.These are keystones of national security and
individual freedom: 1. No Military Commissions Except on the Battlefield.
I will not employ military commissions to prosecute offenses against
the laws of war except in places where active hostilities are ongoing
and a battlefield tribunal is necessary to obtain fresh testimony and
to prevent local anarchy or chaos. 2. No Evidence Extracted by Torture or Coercion.
I will not permit the use of evidence obtained by torture or coercion
to be admissible in a military commission or other tribunal. 3. No Detaining Citizens as Unlawful Enemy Combatants.
I will not detain any American citizen as an unlawful enemy combatant.
Citizens accused of terrorism-linked crimes will be prosecuted in
federal civilian courts. 4. Restoring Habeas Corpus for Suspected Alien Enemy Combatants.
I will detain non-citizens as enemy combatants only if they have
actively participated in actual hostilities against the United States.
I will urge Congress to amend the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to
permit any individual detained under the custody or control of the
United States government to file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus
in federal courts. 5. Prohibiting Warrantless Spying bythe National Security Agency in Violation of Law.
I will prohibit the National Security Agency from gathering foreign
intelligence except in conformity with the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act of 1978, and end the NSA’s domestic surveillance
program that targets American citizens on American soil for warrantless
electronic surveillance. 6. Renouncing Presidential Signing Statements.
I will not issue presidential signing statements declaring the intent
to disregard provisions of a bill that I have signed into law because I
believe they are unconstitutional. Instead, I will veto any bill that I
believe contains an unconstitutional provision and ask Congress to
delete it and re-pass the legislation. 7. Ending Secret Government by Invoking State Secrets Privilege.
I will not invoke the state secrets privilege to deny remedies to
individuals victimized by constitutional violations perpetrated by
government officials or agents. I will not assert executive privilege
to deny Congress information relevant to oversight or legislation
unless supreme state secrets are involved. In that case, I will submit
the privilege claim to a legislative-executive committee for definitive
resolution. 8. Stopping Extraordinary Renditions. I will
order the cessation of extraordinary renditions except where the
purpose of the capture and transportation of the suspected criminal is
for prosecution according to internationally accepted standards of
fairness and due process. 9. Stopping Threats to Prosecuting Journalists under the Espionage Act.
I will urge Congress to amend the Espionage Act to create a
journalistic exception for reporting on matters relating to the
national defense. As a matter of prosecutorial discretion, until such
an amendment is enacted I will not prosecute journalists for alleged
Espionage Act violations except for the intentional disclosure of
information that threatens immediate physical harm to American troops
or citizens at home or abroad. 10. Ending the Listing of Individuals or Organizations as Terrorists Based on Secret Evidence.
I will not list individuals or organizations as foreign terrorists or
foreign terrorist organizations for purposes of United States or
international law based on secret evidence. I will issue a public report annually elaborating on
how the actions enumerated in paragraphs 1-10 have strengthened the
ability of the United States to defeat international terrorism, secure
fundamental freedoms, and preserve the nation’s democratic dispensation. ___________________________ (Candidate)