[Danae]

He was born in Colon, Panama. That isn’t the base. Not even close. If I recall they tried to use the “canal zone” to strech the defination, but either way, it is the reason McCain didn’t bring it up. He didn’t want Minor discussed any more than Obama did. Obama of course had a LOT more reason to want minor repressed. A WHOLE LOT MORE.

[Semper911]

This is the part I like:

Under our Constitution, a naturalized citizen stands on an equal footing with the native citizen in all respects, save that of eligibility to the Presidency. Minor v. Happersett...

Game, set, match.

[DustyMoment]

According to nndb: Born 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone, to military parents. The United States has never had sovereignty over any part of Panama, thus the 14th Amendment's words, "born or naturalized in the United States", do not apply. Congress passed a law on 4 August 1937 retroactively granting those born in the Canal Zone after 1904 US citizenship, nearly one year after McCain's birth. That law (50 Stat. 558, now codified as 8 USC § 1403) states: "Any person born in the Canal Zone on or after February 26, 1904, and whether before or after the effective date of this chapter, whose father or mother or both at the time of the birth of such person was or is a citizen of the United States, is declared to be a citizen of the United States." It is thus certain the McCain is a US citizen, but his status as "natural born citizen" may be questioned.

While the record remains muddy, based on searching a number of Internet sites, it would seem that the Congressional law passed in 1937 would trump the citizenship issue but, as the citation notes, does leave the "natural born citizen" issue unclear.

8 USC Section 1403 states - " TITLE 8 > CHAPTER 12 > SUBCHAPTER III > Part I > § 1403 § 1403. Persons born in the Canal Zone or Republic of Panama on or after February 26, 1904:
(a) Any person born in the Canal Zone on or after February 26, 1904, and whether before or after the effective date of this chapter, whose father or mother or both at the time of the birth of such person was or is a citizen of the United States, is declared to be a citizen of the United States.
(b) Any person born in the Republic of Panama on or after February 26, 1904, and whether before or after the effective date of this chapter, whose father or mother or both at the time of the birth of such person was or is a citizen of the United States employed by the Government of the United States or by the Panama Railroad Company, or its successor in title, is declared to be a citizen of the United States."

[Kaslin]

Maybe the hospital was run by the Navy? Ever thought of that? My son and my daughter were both in Germany in an American hospital; which made it American territory, and the hospital was not on base.