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Jeff - there you go again, quoting the naturalization act of 1790... all the while knowing that the words “natural born” were excised in the 1795 version when Congress corrected their error.

As I've stated many times before, that's irrelevant to the point.

It doesn't change the fact that the First Congress, which with President Washington included 40% of the Signers of the Constitution, quite obviously DID NOT BELIEVE IT TOOK BOTH BIRTH ON US SOIL PLUS CITIZEN PARENTS TO MAKE A PERSON ELIGIBLE TO BE PRESIDENT.

So the Framers of the Constitution clearly DID NOT INTEND the birther definition.

If they had, the First Congress would never have passed that Act.

You can argue it was a "mistake."

Really?

You mean that Father of the Constitution James Madison, Abraham Baldwin, Daniel Carroll, George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimons, Nicholas Gilman, William Samuel Johnson, Richard Bassett, George Read, William Few, John Langdon, William Paterson, Rufus King, Robert Morris, Pierce Butler, and President George Washington didn't know what the hell they were doing when they passed that Act?

Really?

Okay, let's go with that theory. Maybe they had a big party and all got drunk. In the House, AND in the Senate, and in the White House. And maybe someone said, "Hey! I know what. Lissen t' thish. Lesh all pass some stupid-ash bill where we don't know wha' the 'ell we're talkin' 'bout." And maybe they all had a laugh and passed a bill that contradicted what they had previously decided (without anybody ever writing it down) that Presidential eligibility meant.

Well, that's one theory. But how about a better one?

How about this: President George Washington, and Father of the Constitution James Madison, and all together 40% of the men who signed the Constitution knew exactly what they were talking about when they passed that Act.

Personally... I'd bet on the latter scenario.