Why is the assault on the Constitution a forbidden subject for the candidates?

They're supposedly discussing the great issues of our time. Everything except the abuse of power by the Bush administration for the last 7 years. Its like not talking about the elephant in the living room. Would the corporate media just pull the plug?

It was the thing that I appreciated most about Senator Dodd's candidacy. His insistence on this issue was a real asset to the race.

After all, Her Hillariness voted for the USA PATRIOT Acts
parts I and II, for limitations on flag burning, and so on...

Tesha

They haven't seen enough yet, to make it worth their while to speak out against it.

edit: The only exception is Kucinich and Edwards to a degree (he's more focused on the class war ATM though) .

and the media keeps ignoring Edwards. They must hate the Constitution too.

But the topic just seems to get nothing like the attention it deserves. It almost sounds like people are trying to avoid a showdown.

They don't want to appear to be running against Bush at this time??

"If/then" is weak, but in this case, there is plenty of expectation that if they're not discussing it, they will do zero to change it.

Protecting The Constitution And Respecting Our Freedoms

"We are not the country of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. We are not the country of secret surveillance and government behind closed doors. We are Americans, and we're better than that." -- John Edwards

America must do whatever it takes to defeat terrorism, but securing a lasting victory will take moral as well as military strength. President Bush's failure to respect the Constitution and our commitment to the fundamental rule of law has badly damaged our security and our standing in the world. President Bush has sent a message that torture and other human rights violations are acceptable, creating a precedent of disregard for the law that is being exploited by terrorists and repressive governments across the world. We must restore our moral leadership in the world, and we should begin here at home. If we want to spread democracy abroad, we must strengthen democracy in America, including our constitutional freedoms and the rule of law.

Say No to Torture

The Bush-Cheney Administration has undermined our standing in the world and endangered our own troops by sanctioning the use of interrogation techniques long considered torture. Edwards will protect our troops and our values by upholding the Geneva Conventions anywhere American security forces—military or civilian—are engaged. He will issue an executive order setting clear guidelines for interrogations and prohibiting torture. He will also ban the shameful practice of outsourcing torture to other countries through "extraordinary rendition."

Restore Habeas Corpus and Shut Down Guantanamo

The Bush Administration has claimed the power to seize and indefinitely detain anybody it labels an "enemy combatant" with no due process and no lawyer, even if they were seized here in America. It built a prison at Guantanamo Bay outside the reach of our courts, creating a symbol that galvanizes our enemies and alienates our allies. As president, Edwards will shut down Guantanamo and work to resolve the status of the detainees, hundreds of whom have been held for years without being charged. He will also restore the writ of habeas corpus to reinstate judicial review of detention, rather than allow unchecked executive power.

Protect Americans' Privacy and Freedom

Our government should protect the privacy, communications, and personal records of Americans—not spy on them without court supervision as the Bush Administration has done. Edwards will end the warrantless wiretapping of Americans' phone calls and e-mails and the data-mining of Americans' communications and personal records, restoring judicial review to surveillance of American citizens. He rejects retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies. He will fix the Patriot Act by restoring important safeguards to the provisions most susceptible to abuse: the "sneak-and-peek" delayed-notice searches, National Security Letters, and the business and library records provisions. He will also end racial profiling by law enforcement.

Defend the Constitution

Edwards will end the practice of issuing presidential "signing statements" that claim the administration can ignore the law. He will respect the proper roles of the Congress and the courts. He will not shroud the actions of the White House in secrecy. He will not abuse the executive privilege to hide information from Congress and the courts. And he will not interfere with the professional judgment of attorneys at the Justice Department or impose a partisan agenda on their interpretation of the nation's laws and Constitution.

I know he cares about it.

..

There are easy ways to avoid issues that might piss people off, just don't report it, or limit the exposure. Most of us who don't trust what is reported, try to find information in other ways, like the internet to gov't sites, c-span, or maybe Bill Moyers, etc. Besides all the illegal activities going on in the Executive branch, which are right out in the open, there are plenty of sneaky votes on legislation that kills off bills, and never see daylight. This is the 'New Republic'.

And in their hearts they thank Bush for taking that power because they intend to use it - Clinton, Edwards, Obama, doesn't matter which one you are talking about. The Republicans are even worse.

talk publicly, loudly and repeatedly about Abu Ghraib, Blackwater mercenary/storm-troopers, corruption/cronyism, election fraud/manipulation in the last 2 presidential elections and a host of other issues crucial to the well-being of what's left of the Republic after 7 years of Bush.

what would alien visitors think of us

Blow job bad, disappearance of constitutional rights too complex etc

simple as that.