Having the President "agree" not to torture and not to do all of these other unnecessary, objectionable things is hardly a "fix" . Clearly we need systemic changes. We shouldn't be relying on having a "good" president. It is little different then having a king.

1. The attorney general cannot be appointed by the President. Even congressional approval is not enough. The AG needs independence from the "Good 'ole boy network. Maybe elections with 8 years experience as a federal prosecutor required.

2. Signing statements should be illegal. If the President believes a law is unconstitutional, he should be able to get it expedited to the courts.

I could go on and on but it should be sufficient to say that we need to have a written code that must be followed. Future presidents will find themselves hamstrung by the illegal, stupid, and criminal actions of Bush and Cheney et al. You must really have a very corrupt President/administration before the need for such codes is urgent.