I would like the next president to reconnect with America's traditional values by closing Guantanamo immediately, recommitting to a prohibition on torture across the board, and signaling to the rest of the world that America will resume its global leadership role in creating a global rule of law.

Buy Philippe's new book, Torture Team .

On Day One, the president should start a new and open foreign policy, including everything from working for peace in Israel-Palestine to lifting the embargo on Cuba, so that the entire world knows that America is back and willing to work with the rest of the world in tackling international problems that we can't possibly tackle on our own.

On Day One, the next president should work within the multilateral nonproliferation framework and toward a goal of zero nuclear weapons worldwide. In the immediate term, we should stop working on new generations of nuclear weapons, ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and work with Russia on bilateral reductions in armaments. To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, we need to get other countries on our side by first convincing them that we ourselves are acting in good faith.

On Day One, the next president of the United States should begin preparations to immediately and unconditionally end the war in Iraq - the biggest strategic mistake of our lifetime and a distraction from the war on terror and America's strategic interests in the Middle East and at home.

The next president should, first, remove all troops from Iraq, and then pledge support for the Artists-Museums Partnership Act, which allows artists to deduct the tax value of a work of art that they contribute to charity, rather than just the value of the materials. Providing these tax incentives will allow artwork to enter into museums' collections earlier, and will redistribute wealth and help educate Americans.

Make the "national initiative for democracy" a reality. This would turn our great nation finally into a true direct democracy. How great it would be for us, The People, to have a say in Federal matters that affect us greatly? We pride ourselves in being the freest nation on earth, when in actuality, we are far from it. More pathetically, we're in denial and immature as a society. We need to learn the concept of humility and take more responsibility in our government and be mature to take action.

Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, argues the next President should make a commitment to eliminating nuclear weapons in the shortest time possible. The President should convene a summit to create a roadmap to disarmament and should bring into force a comprehensive test-ban treaty...

On Day One the next President should commit to defending America and our allies. Additionally, the next President should acknowledge that al-Qaeda is a serious threat and that they do not want to compromise.

Watch this video and remember how long we've all been longing for peace. On Day 1, do something for peace and bring home the troops. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43J-gYOnLoI&feature=PlayList&p=923D98AAC62E6CA8&index=0

www.americanprogress.org/projects/poverty/ Peter Edelman from the Center for American Progress Poverty Task Force says it's shocking the number of Americans who struggle to make ends meet in today's United States. Read the Center for American Progress's new report on poverty, FROM POVERTY TO PROSPERITY. What if our most powerful weapons were ideas? www.AMERICANPROGRESS.org