On August 15, the American Freedom Campaign mailed and faxed letters to all of the major candidates for president. (Using an objective standard, we included those individuals who have been participating in the Democratic and Republican debates.) The purpose of this letter was to urge the candidates to sign the American Freedom Pledge posted on our home page. The text of this letter is below and you can also click here if you would like to see a PDF of one of the letters.

If you would like to send an e-mail to all of the presidential candidates, urging them to sign the pledge, go here.

As the candidates sign the pledge, we will use this page to convey the news to our supporters and the general public. We hope that you will check back in the future.

Here is the text of the letter:

Dear Candidate:

Just weeks ago, with the assistance of MoveOn.org, Human Rights Watch, and the Center for Constitutional Rights, we launched the American Freedom Campaign (AFC), a grassroots and grasstops movement to defend the constitutional rights of Americans and restore our system of checks and balances. We are motivated by the current Administration’s assault on our liberties and, in no uncertain terms, on our democracy itself. (Please visit www.AmericanFreedomCampaign.org for more information, including the full AFC legislative agenda.)

From spying on its own citizens without court orders to sanctioning torture to ignoring congressional subpoenas to denying habeas corpus to detainees, this Administration has treated the Constitution as more of an advisory document than as one of the greatest and most important documents in history. As we head into the 2008 presidential election, the American people need to know that the next president will honor, protect, and defend the Constitution. Any individual who cannot pledge to do so does not deserve to lead this country.

With these thoughts in mind, we sincerely hope that you will sign the American Freedom Pledge – a pledge designed for American citizens but which is especially appropriate for presidential candidates. The text of this pledge, which we have forwarded to all Democratic and Republican candidates, is as follows:

“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."

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE)

Senator Joe Biden provided the American Freedom Campaign with a signed letter on September 25, detailing his commitment to defending the Constitution.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

Senator Hillary Clinton provided the American Freedom Campaign with a signed letter on October 4, detailing her commitment to defending the Constitution.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Senator Dodd signed the pledge on August 31.

Senator John Edwards (D-NC)

Former Senator John Edwards provided the American Freedom Campaign with a signed letter on September 13, detailing his commitment to defending the Constitution.

Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK)

Former Senator Mike Gravel made a verbal commitment to sign the pledge on September 17. A signature on the pledge was received on October 4.

Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

Representative Kucinich signed the pledge on September 6.

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)

Senator Obama signed the pledge on October 2.

Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM)

Governor Richardson signed the pledge on August 30.

REPUBLICANS

Representative Paul has not replied to the American Freedom Campaign, but signed the presidential pledge of the American Freedom Agenda on March 20, 2007.