Posted on 02/27/2008 8:24:39 PM PST by Kaslin
WASHINGTON — The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental United States for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president? In the case of Senator John McCain of Arizona, the issue is becoming more than a matter of parental daydreaming.
Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.
Almost since those words were written in 1787 with scant explanation, their precise meaning has been the stuff of confusion, law school review articles, whisper campaigns and civics class debates over whether only those delivered on American soil can be truly natural born. To date, no American to take the presidential oath has had an official birthplace outside the 50 states.
“There are powerful arguments that Senator McCain or anyone else in this position is constitutionally qualified, but there is certainly no precedent,” said Sarah H. Duggin, an associate professor of law at Catholic University who has studied the issue extensively. “It is not a slam-dunk situation.”
Mr. McCain was born on a military installation in the Canal Zone, where his mother and father, a Navy officer, were stationed. His campaign advisers say they are comfortable that Mr. McCain meets the requirement and note that the question was researched for his first presidential bid in 1999 and reviewed again this time around.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I didn’t mean to stutter
These first two appear to be inoculating McCain. By the time they get to #20, he will be walking on water like Obama.
Hussein I-wish-I’d-worked-harder-to-kill-Terri-Schiavo Obama’s mother was an American citizen.
Forget Panama.
Being born in 1936 should disqualify McCain.
More from the morons at the Times.
The Panama Canal Zone was American territory from 1904 to 1979, then a mixed bag under the control of the joint US-Panama Canal Commission to 1999, then was turned over to Panama.
It even had a US Federal District Court there.
As mentioned up in the thread, there is also specific parts of the US code legislating citizenship for Zonians.
Hey New York Times - go find Obama’s secret girlfriends rather than beating this dead horse.
The Communists at Pravda must be worried.
I just remembered that Hawaii became a state in 1959.
If Obama (b. 1961) had been born 2 years earlier, he would have exactly the same problem as McCain.
The NY Slimes has really marginalized themselves for the entire election.
You got to wonder when the bond holder will revolt.
These pathetic hit pieces are downright stupid.
The real message behind the NY Slimes story line and all their story lines on McCain that will follow is, “Shouldn’t the democrat nominee win by default?” I mean, why hold an election right? Afterall, its time to finally get rid of that pesky constitution (while obstensibly standing for it), and just declare a marxist state. Senator McCain is standing in the way and must simply be declared invalid, illegal or a hypocrit or all the above.
Yes, this is a minor story but it is part of the soft coup that is going on in this country. Suddenly all Republicans face investigation and are illegal while Willie Jefferson gets to keep his moola in the fridge, Dirty Harry becomes a real estate mogul and Jackass Murtha continues to pork up his distric like it was a hog farm on military contracts while slandering innocent Marines.
You may be right, I didn't think of it from that angle. They've always been able to make them work in the past.
Why ?
Some of the sharpest and most insightful people I know are in there seventies .
both his parents are american citizens. the topic is just garbage it won’t fly.
These kinds of attacks against someone are extremely shallow and almost incomprehensibly stupid.
Wow! I love the way this forum is so informative, honestly I have become quite the informed voter here due to you guys.
Thanks for this info, slimes won’t have nuthin’ on me. Didn’t know previously to reading the article what the deal was, except of course to know it came from the NYSlimes, the bums.
ncalburt - it’s a joke, ncal.
By the way is that photo a famous actor? I seem to recognize him. Is it Victor Mature?
After reading the article I don’t see where they are raising it as an issue. They are mentioning something that many people have wondered about, including many Freepers. The article consistently states that research indicates he is eligible.
Seems to me that someone would need to mount a legal challenge to this rather than just point it out. Will the NYT or the DNC or some other group actually lead this challenge?
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