<p>oh yea and what about Bill Ayres while we are at it?</p>
<p>What are you insinuating about Obama’s birth certificate?</p>
<p>Poetsheart, there are three theories as to why the birth certificate hasn’t been released. 1. That Senator Obama was actually born out of the US, 2. that his parents weren’t legally married (which I don’t think they were, but it appears that his mother didn’t know that at the time); and 3. that Senator Obama’s actual first name is Barry. Personally, the last one makes me giggle.</p>
<p>I think 1/2/3 would make me giggle.</p>
<p>haha. i hadn’t heard about this! i hope its for one of these reasons :)</p>
<p>Oh good grief! If he wasn’t born in the U.S. (and you can believe that his citizenship has been verified), he couldn’t legally run for President. There’s no way it wouldn’t get out, if indeed, he wasn’t born here. And last I looked, Hawaii is still part of the United States.</p>
<p>Question: Is the birth certificate of a candidate for President usually something that is “released”? Why insists on seeing Obama’s?</p>
<p>Actually, it was McCain’s eligibility that needed to be verified since he was born in Panama. At the time of his birth, the Panama Canal Zone was under American control, so that makes him eligible for the presidency.</p>
<p>As for Obama, Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959 and he was born in 1961. It does not matter that his father was Kenyan since US citizenship is based on jus soli.</p>
<p>
Wouldn’t that mean McCain’s birthplace is utterly irrelevant (ie: did not need to be verified)?</p>
<p>Nope.</p>
<p>The Constitution states that the President HAS to be born in the US or in US territories. That’s why Presidency is jus soli, not jus sanguini (although jus sanguini does sometimes apply).</p>
<p>Hah, no one ever said the document was perfect. I see the relevance though.</p>
<p>Constitution: “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” (Article II, Section I)</p>
<p>More law: </p>
<p>"“And 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.”</p>
<p>From these Acts of Congress:</p>
<p>“An Act to Establish a Uniform Rule of Naturalization.” 1st U.S. Congress, 2nd Session, 26 Mar. 1790.</p>
<p>“An Act to Establish a Uniform Rule of Naturalization; and to repeal the act heretofore passed on that subject.” 3rd U.S. Congress, 2nd Session, 29 June 1795.</p>
<p>Oh good grief. I think he was fathered by Reverend Wright in Bosnia, and he is a muslim terrorist to boot. That’s what I heard.</p>
<ol>
<li>John McCain wasn’t born inside the US either. </li>
</ol>
<p>However if you’re born outside of the US, to two citizens of the US then you are still a US citizen by birth. It’s the by birth thing that matters, not so much where that birth occurred. I mean if you’re parents happen to be out of the country when you’re born they don’t exactly need to apply for a visa to let you back into the US! ;-)</p>
<p>…actually, it can be a bit more complicated than you think. We have been there!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>McCain’s eligibility did NOT need to be verified. While he was born in the Panama Canal Zone - he was born to Americans. His father was stationed there while serving in the Navy. Not only that he was born on a US Military base. McCain is a natural born citizen. The hoopla was totally unfounded.</p>
<p>I believe there was some question back when Goldwater ran since he was born in Arizona and Arizona was not a state at the time. He obviously overcame that hurdle.</p>
<p>The hoopla was based on lack of knowledge about the exact status of the Panama Canal Zone and of those born on US military bases. That is all that was implied.</p>
<p>But back to the OP – why do we care about Obama’s birth certificate? Or – radical idea – is this thread just a ■■■■■ to stir up trouble?</p>
<p>“But back to the OP – why do we care about Obama’s birth certificate? Or – radical idea – is this thread just a ■■■■■ to stir up trouble?”</p>
<p>I’m not the OP, but the failure to release the birth certificate is a huge deal in the blogosphere. Started on the left among the Hillary loyalists. Tons of speculation, lots of made up stories. I think (pardon me for speaking for someone else) the OP finds the whole thing as amusing as I do and wanted to have a little fun on a thread. Peole for whom the topic was familiar would have been laughing at the OP as I was. It’s only if you haven’t been aware of the swirling silliness that’s been going on for quite a while that you would see this is stirring up trouble because it’s not.</p>
<p>…“Started on the left among the Hillary loyalists.”…</p>
<p>Bingo. And if the story had legs, they certainly would have run with it. ;)</p>
<p>Now it is good fodder for the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity…</p>