The way I heard it was the 'rat Congress had set out to pre-empt citizenship problems for Obama by leveraging off the fact that McLame's birth history could be made to look suspect. In what was hoped to be a quick sleight of hand, both 0bama and McLame were to be declared eligible via Congressional vetting (whatever extra-Constitutional imprimatur and halo that would lend the candidates). McLame's case was able to be dealt with quickly and but for some reason, Zero's ran aground and hit roadblocks, such that some people were skeerd to put their name to it. The case for Zero fell apart, and the Left buried it, hoping no one would notice.
...and I'm pretty sure it didn't happen during the Reagan administration...
HF
Actually, guys, they did.
The inside story is that the issue was raised about McCain, and the public bill was ostensibly passed for McCain's benefit -- but the 'Rats actually wrote the bill for Obama, displaying in the process more mens rea about Obama's citizenship status on the part of the 'Rat Congressional leadership. Pelosi knew, Murtha knew, Steny Hoyer knew, Waxman knew, they all knew Obama couldn't make the grade on eligibility.
So they made an issue about McCain, to try to cure Obama's ineligibility by statute. Which, by the way, is null and void if it contravenes the black-letter law of the Constitution itself, which no doubt it will be found to have done, when the issue is eventually adjudicated by the Supreme Court.