Infinite MonkeysJohn McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. And now questions are arising as to whether he is constitutionally eligible to serve as president of the United States.
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.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.
I don't think this is a hard call. McCain's parents, after all, were in Panama on assignment from their own government. And the "canal zone" was, technically, U.S. territory -- like being born of a diplomat in the conservatory of an embassy. But McCain's got his best legal mind -- Ted Olsen -- on the case.
As McCain ally Sen. Lindsay Graham put it:
"He was posted there on orders from the United States government," Graham said of McCain's father. "If that becomes a problem, we need to tell every military family that your kid can't be president if they take an overseas assignment."
Exactly. The Gore team tried to invalidate the votes of overseas military personnel in Florida in 2000. I don't think an attempt to invalidate a military candidate would go over very well.
Just another attempt by The New York Times to stir up trouble -- for a Republican.
The law is the law.He was not born within the boundaries of the United States. T F B. His parents could have made arrangements to have the delivery back in the U S .He should back away now as we dont need the prospect of 4 to eight years more of Bushit in a mer ic a. Someone please challenge this now,or whats next? A steroid induced Governor with broken english being primed for president? McCain go away and dont come back!
Posted by: Chris Plain at February 28, 2008 05:33 AMI believe Abraham Lincoln said it best:
"It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
And yes, Chris, that was directed at you.
Posted by: rabidsquirrel at February 28, 2008 01:23 PMThe Constitution is pretty clear here, in both language and intent--only a natural born American, not a foreigner, is eligible to be President. It's obvious that McCain is a natural born American.
As for his parents "making arrangements" to have the baby in the United States--it's obvious Chris is an asshat who has no idea what military service is like. I'd love it if the Democrats tried to make an issue of this, because they would lose the vote of everyone who has ever served in the military or had a family member who did.
As McCain once said when he was running for Congress and was accused to being a carpetbagger at a candidate's forum: “Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the first district of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi.”
Posted by: Monkey David at February 28, 2008 07:37 PMI seem to recall that this story had its genesis with some of our own clowns on the right a few weeks back. Of course the NYT still was not sure McCain would be the GOP nominee, so it was not news.
Calling "Chris Plain" a fool is a disservice to fools everywhere.
Posted by: JamesPh. at February 28, 2008 07:42 PM