"In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain’s eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain’s birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that the president must be a 'natural-born citizen.'"
We all know that Jeffrey Toobin and the other TV lawyer commentators other than Greta (who as far as I know has not yet addressed the issue) come down on the same answer, together with the Boston University Law Review and other secondary authorities.
The McCain question is important to the subject matter of this topic for the reason that it may well be the lever best used to pry the lid on Obama's denial campaign.
And McCain affords the courts, if they become involved, the opportunity to render a politically neutral decision, throwing both candidates out.
Lawyers are like whores. They will assume any unnatural position if you pay them enough.
Issues with respect to John McCain status as a natural-born citizen are without merit and have no *real* legal basis. He’s clearly a natural-born citizen based on law going back to 1790. You are free to write contentious articles and make theoretical and meritless claims like that guy. On the thread cited another lawyer called him a quack. And here is Cong Billybob, our resident SCOTUS appellate lawyer:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043909/posts?page=41#41
…”professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain’s birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement…”
David,
Take a good look at McCains birth certificate.
He was not born in the Canal Zone, U.S. Territory.
He was born in Colón, Republic Panama, a foreign country.
Can’t these “professors” read?
After he was born in Colón, Republic Panama, on 29 August, his birth was “registered” (a key word) at Balboa Heights, Canal Zone, on 10 September 1936.
This involved taking John’s Panamanian birth certificate and presenting it at the registrars office of vital statistics in the Canal Zone.
This would also require the parents to prove who they were.
They never registered John in the Republic of Panama in El Registro Publico (The Public Registry). They just bypassed it and left for the U.S.
Just because he was not registered with the Panamanian Government, does not make him less of a Panamanian. He still is one.
Solid proof of this is shown in the Certificate of Live Birth issued by the Canal Zone. It states born in “Colon.”
There was no hospital in Coco Solo, Canal Zone, at that time. It was built in ‘41-’42 long after he was born and gone.
There is nothing difficult to understand about this.
He was born a Panamanian citizen.
Crumbs!!! I know this inside out and outside in.
I live in Panama and have personally worked with this very problem. A lot of folks never registered their birth in Panama before they left for the States, and now want their official Panamanian documents. I tell them what they need and what to do.
Regards.