Prior to the 2008 election, there was pretty much no doubt about it.
Certainly in the dark past when I was born that's what everyone thought.
It's not a big deal. There are hundreds of millions of people who do qualify. We should be able to find someone with a mildly above average IQ to do that job. That's all that Soetoro has.
My Grandfather was a career State Department diplomat who spent a lot of his life screening people for visas to the United States. He married a British Subject while posted to Scotland, and thought the native birth requirement SO IMPORTANT that he sent my Grandmother home to the midwest to have their child. In 1928, that mean't you got on a ship and spent 2 weeks getting to the U.S. from Liverpool.
So since 1787, it's been a big deal. We don't want to be ruled by foreigners. The European hereditary monarchs used to play musical chairs with their kingdoms: the wars were just internecine spats. The British people to this day have a bunch of Germans occupying their castles. They are slowly fixing that with the Middleton girl.
People born on military bases are a special case. In any event a U.S. military base is considered U.S. soil, like an Embassy. If you go off base because of the hospital facilities, that's a minor issue - you're still in a foreign country on orders. McCain's citizenship and loyalty were never in question; just his sanity.
It's a serious issue. It shouldn't be glibly watered down. International Communism and it's urge to power over the planet never gave up.
I recall second grade in Ramstein in 1964. My sister had just been born and they made a big deal in school teaching us that we were eligible to become President because being stationed there. It was one of few loopholes. Dad AND mom both had to be US citizens.
Hence, any local babies dropped on base for whatever reason are US citizens (anchor babies). If not, then not.