ANN SANNER, Associated Press Writer wrote in an article titled Candidates meet ‘natural-born’ test despite rumors:
In an argument popular on the Internet and taken seriously practically nowhere else, critics of the candidates argue that each does not qualify to run for the White House because he’s not a “natural-born citizen” as the Constitution requires.
Obama plainly is, because he was born in the U.S.
…The Constitution requires that only “natural-born” citizens hold the presidency. But the Founding Fathers did not elaborate on the term, so bloggers and others have had a field day.
So much for that canard that the mainstream media is ignoring the issue!
In California, U.S. District Judge William Alsup threw out a lawsuit seeking to remove McCain from the state’s ballot because of his birthplace.
Alsup ruled in September that McCain was essentially a qualifying citizen two times over _ first, because both his parents were U.S. citizens, which satisfied eligibility rules of the time; and because a law passed a year after his birth retroactively recognizing people born in the zone as natural-born Americans.
darn…theres that TWO parents thing again.
oh, that quote was from your own link
For McCain to qualify “two times over”, he must qualify two times.
McCain qualifies 1 time because both his parents are citizens.
McCain qualifies 1 time because of where he was born.
A President only needs to qualify once, therefore the second qualification alone is sufficient. Surely you wouldn’t argue that being born in a territory qualifies one to be president, while being born in the United States proper does not.
Note: I’m not sure the phrase “natural born” applies to the Canal Zone citizenship law. A reference would be helpful.
Anne,
The available evidence suggests Mr McCain was born in the Republic of Panama, outside of US jurisdiction, and that his own assertion of a Canal Zone birth may have been false.
Also, it is by no means certain thata retroactive law (leaving aside any ex post facto problem) can retrospectively and Constitutionallycreate a natural born status. The law may simply havenaturalized Baby McCain at age eleven months.
Hitandrun
There is evidence that McCain was born in the Canal zone, and that evidence is a contemporary birth announcement in the local newspaper saying he was born on the Base.
Because Hollander v. McCain never went to trial, McCain never had an opportunity to challenge the validity of the “birth certificate” submitted by Hollander. If the head of the Panama Department of Health issued a press release that he had visited their records repository and that John McCain’s birth was there and in accordance with Panamanian regulations, then I would believe the birth certificate was valid. Not knowing the character of Hollander or his agent in Panama, and this in addition to the birth announcement in a Panamanian newspaper stating that McCain was born on the Base and a press report that a reporter saw a McCain birth certificate saying he was born on the Base, I have a difficult time accepting the Hollander certificate on face value.
Unlike the Hollander document, Obama’s has 3 things going for it:
1. The actual certified copy was examined by an independent organization
2. Hawaiian officials have stated that Obama’s birth is registered in Hawaii
3. There are two contemporary birth announcements in competing Hawaiian newspapers confirming
I don’t know where McCain was born because of conflicting evidence.
The Framers/Founding Fathers did not “elaborate” on the meaning because there wasn’t any need to. You cannot be serious with this drivel. Read Article II Sec 1 and if you have an I.Q. slightly above that of a turnip ; the Framers intention will be clear. Need a hint? check out the second line the legendary ‘grandfather clause’ now put on your logic cap. For heaven’s sake it required little more than 5 minutes for my Jr High class circa 1975 to arrive at the inescapable conclusion that natural born citizen includes all those born on American soil to citizen parents; both parents must be of American citizenship class– so as to sever hereditary right of newborn which would conflict with sole allegiance to the U.S.
I would submit that birthers generally exhibit Jr High mentality and intellectual ability. In particular believing they are more qualified to interpret the Constitution than the Supreme Court Justices. Seriously, you have not grown in your thinking since you and your fellow 13 year olds decided what you thought was so in 1975? How unfortunate.
So your argument rests on your Jr. High School class opinion and insults?
In case your Jr. High School vignette is true (which I deeply doubt), I would say that the Supreme Court of New York, Lincoln’s Attorney General and my US Senator (all of whom disagree with you) are more qualified than your Jr. High class to interpret the Constitution. The entire Congress of the United States without exception, voted to confirm Obama’s eligibility and certify the election. [This is what’s called an “argument from authority”.]
Read those opinions and others here:
http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2009/01/the-great-mother-of-all-natural-born-citizen-quotation-pages/
I’m waiting for sworn affidavits from these kids before I’ll believe it.
ONLY ONE parent must be a citizen in order for their child to have Natural Born Status.
http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2009/02/scotus-agrees-natural-born-citizen-may-have-alien-parent/
Unfortunately the URL in this article was set in error. The article text says “native born”.