I think folks are missing the key issue.
If his father had Kenyan citizenship at birth, then Obama’s “natural born citezenship” status is in doubt.
Please note that Natural Born Citizenship is NOT THE SAME as having citizenship at birth. Congress is free to define all manner of people as having citizenship at birth. But the “Natural Born” status in the constitution does not depend on congressional law. It is set theory — many people can have citizenship conferred at birth by congress who are not “natural born citzens”.
The citenship of the parents is a KEY ISSUE for determining natural born status.
Look at these two supreme court cases:
Minor v. Happersett , 88 U.S. 162 (1875)
The Constitution does not in words say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners. Some authorities go further and include as citizens children born within the jurisdiction without reference to the citizenship of their parents.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898)
At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children, born in a country of parents who were its citizens, became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners.
Also the supreme court cases habitually cite “The Law of Nations” Book I, Chapter 19, § 212, which in translation says:
§ 212. Citizens and natives.
The citizens are the members of the civil society: bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights. . . .
Natural born does not depend on congressional law at all.
Your research is lacking. The citizenship of the parents is a key issue. This might help:
Minor v. Happersett , 88 U.S. 162 (1875)
The Constitution does not in words say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners. Some authorities go further and include as citizens children born within the jurisdiction without reference to the citizenship of their parents.
United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898)
At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children, born in a country of parents who were its citizens, became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners.
Also the supreme court cases habitually cite “The Law of Nations” Book I, Chapter 19, § 212, which in translation says:
§ 212. Citizens and natives.
The citizens are the members of the civil society: bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. As the society cannot exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights. . . .
No it's not; he simply is does not qualify, not having two parents who were citizens at his birth. No doubt at all, by his own evidence.
You’re right.
Although my husband and I are NBC’s, my son is not. He was born in a German hospital. It was explained to us, in detail, when my son was born that he was a US Citizen, but NOT natural born and the only stipulation of his citizen status was that he could never be POTUS.
McCain had a similar issue, BUT he was born in a US hospital on a US base which was classified as US soil in a foreign country. That is the difference between him and my son.
For this reason, I think that it’s terribly unjust for military families to sacrifice so much for their country, only to have this over their heads, but I do accept the limitation. It is the Law. Period.
HOWEVER, this can be fixed by having military babies born in military hospitals on US bases. But they won’t do it because it’s cheaper to just pay the foreign drs to deliver the babies. It’s crap, but it’s our reality.
The president must respect the Constitution and the Law.
::: If his father had Kenyan citizenship at birth, then Obamugabe’s “natural born citizenship” status is in doubt. :::
But, the people have spoken at the ballot box. Too little, too late! [/sarc][/SCOTUS opinion]
That Obama's father was never a citizen was never a secret. It was in Obama's autobiographies; everyone knew it.
But during the primary elections, none of Obama's opponents claimed that that made him ineligible to run. During the general election campaign, McCain and Palin never claimed that that made Obama ineligible. During that campaign, no conservative legal organization (Thomas Moore Center, ACLJ, Judicial Watch, etc.) ever filed a challenge to Obama's eligibility. No law professor wrote an op-ed article questioning Obama's eligibility.
After the election, no member of the electoral college questioned Obama's eligibility. When Vice President Cheney certified the electoral votes before a joint session of Congress, not one member of the House or Senate raised any objection to Obama's eligibility. Chief Justice Roberts swore Obama into office without questioning his eligibility.
At this point, the odds of any court in the U.S. defining "natural born citizen" to mean anything but a citizen who is born, not naturalized, is exactly zero.