Because the legal status of the Panama Canal Zone is a bit fuzzy, but the legal status of Hawaii is not. Duh.
In which case Dear Reader should produce the birth certificate. I can produce mine on demand. Why can he not?
Duh to you! The legal status of John McCain's birth was clearly addressed in the law way before the unnecessary need for Hearings was acted upon. The legal status was quite clear before and after the unneeded hearings on the matter.
Furthermore, the legal status of Hawaii was in transition because it just became a state in 1959, just before Obama's birth.
There were a number of ways to secure a birth certificate in Hawaii in 1961. The primary one is the long form that identified the hospital and attending physician. But if the child was not born in a hospital the applicant can make a declaration and secure an equivalent to the long form as a Certificate of Live Birth. The legal requirements for this avenue to acquire a Hawaiian Certificate of Live Birth were loose at the time.
Taking a look at the long form would clarify whether Mr. Obama was born in a hospital in Hawaii or elsewhere in Hawaii. Of course the possibility exists that a close relative could have secured a Certificate of Live Birth for Obama even though he was born elsewhere. We just do not know. We would like to feel assured that all is well and in order in this case. That still would not answer whether Mr. Obama is a natural born citizen; his father was a British citizen, clearly not born in the USA.
“But we just had to have hearings on that matter for John McCain. Why not for Obama?
Because the legal status of the Panama Canal Zone is a bit fuzzy, but the legal status of Hawaii is not. Duh.”
Usually when someone gets hired for a high level government position they get a background check and have to turn in documents about their past. DUH!