Shooting the $hit

Senator John McCain

I just found out that in 1936 Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain was born in Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone. So, who the hell cares where McCain was born, right? Wrong, the U.S constitution states that, “Clause 5. No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been Fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. ” It clearly states that a presidential candidate must be a natural born citizen, which McCain is not. McCain was born on a U.S naval base not in the United States itself.

Even though being born on a naval base is technically equivalent to being born in the United States according to this Congressional act, “ …the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens” there still is a slight possibilty that McCain may not be elligible to be President. This is not the first time the question has been broached in a presidential election. Fellow Arizonian Barry Goldwater was born in the Arizona territory before it was a state. And Mitt Romney’s father, George, ran for president in 1968, though he was born in Mexico. Like McCain, both were born to U.S. citizens and, therefore, considered to be American citizens.

However, both of those candidates were unsuccessful in their bids and so a degree of uncertainty remains. If McCain wins the presidency, the constitutionality of these congressional statutes could be challenged in the courts. Members of Congress have expressed this fear and proposed a more explicit law, or even a Constitutional amendment. Neither has been adopted. Maybe the Democrats are waiting to release this information and try to sabotage the election. I guess we will have to wait and see.

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