[Mariner]

"The New York Times and people who profess not to know the meaning are simply ignorant or pretending to be ignorant of a customary legal principle that has been in usage for centuries."

Worse, many people equate being born to a citizen parent anywhere in the world constitutes NBC.

[driftdiver]

“Worse, many people equate being born to a citizen parent anywhere in the world constitutes NBC.”

Only because that is what the law says.

[JediJones]

If you’re a citizen at birth under the current law, then you’re natural-born. This is simple logic and understanding of the English language. “Natural-born” as a term has nothing to do with geography. Adding the word “natural” to “born” doesn’t suddenly make it a word about geography. You’re not required by law to be born on U.S. soil to be a citizen at birth. Being born outside under the circumstances Cruz was counts.

If you changed the law so that you were not an automatic citizen if you were born off U.S. soil, then a person born in Canada tomorrow would not be eligible to be president. It all depends on what the law says makes you a citizen at birth, i.e. natural-born. That would be one heck of a stupid change in the law though, turning a child who was born overseas to U.S. parents into an illegal alien when they bring him back.

The ignorance among some in not understanding obvious, simple English language when it comes to this term is ridiculous.