Purists hold to the meaning that NBC status is inviolate including the exclusion of the son and grandson of a four star admiral serving his nation abroad. The territory between purists and those who merely (and incorrectly in my view)demand that an NBC be born in the USA irrespective of parental citizenship is a minefield of collateral arguments and literature challenging such present notables as Sen. Rubio and Gov. Jindal both of whom were born here to parents who were welcome aliens at the time.
With Obama, the Rubicon has been breached on both demonstrable birth location (the bruhaha over faux birth certs) and parental status. So the NBC issue girl is not only pregnant but she is pregnant and overdue by 3 years, the time since Obama's nomination.
Yet apart from a few million (?) of us who believe that the Constitution matters, the formal opposition, the GOP, has vigorously stonewalled the issue and to borrow your phrase, 'not that it apparently makes any difference.' It may be too late to remove Obama for his ineligibilty, but is it too late to save the Constitution?
McCain has never "proudly displayed" his birth certificate. He hasn't even released it. The one on the Web is so obviously fake, it's amazing it gets posted here.