I don't have a problem if verification actually is not the job of the SOS. (I do have a problem if their state law requires more and they do not fulfill their duties.)
At some point, however, it's not good enough to leave this important LEGAL CONCLUSION (that an individual is, in fact, a "natural born citizen") in the secret and private (read: not ordinarily amenable to judicial action) realm of inner political party machinations.
Apart from the grossness of claiming that it's sufficient to trust nasty political machines with the penultimate task of VOUCHSAFING THE CONSTITUTION, even if it were the Party of Angels, please: in this fact pattern re Obama, the questions, if legally cognizable, are truly complex and require experts.
IF--a big IF---the Supreme Court were to take up this matter (e.g., the Donofrio case), there would be many trees killed to support voluminnous briefs, not only by the parties, but also by myriad amici; there might be extensive arguments; discussion of foreign laws, and on and on.
Even if Joe Party Hack was a solid citizen who wanted more than anything to do the right thing, this is a question that potentially will exercise the expertise of the Supreme Court. How would Joe Party Hack even begin to know what the issues or law or relevant history was?
You sound like a lawyer. I guess “fightinJAG” is your occupation.
I’ll refrain from lawyer jokes. JK, some of my most expensive friends are lawyers :)
Cross-referencing to other threads with good discussions:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2138892/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2138966/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137253/posts