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Is John McCain Ineligible to Be President?
Newsmax ^ | Monday, July 16, 2007 4:26 PM | By: Lowell Ponte

Posted on 01/31/2008 9:55:48 AM PST by Perdogg

Pundits are now writing obituaries for Sen. John McCain's sinking campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

I hereby join them with a fundamental question: Does the Arizona senator fulfill our Constitution's eligibility requirements to be president?

Like several other prominent American politicians, John McCain was not born in the United States.

Article II of the Constitution specifies that "no person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President."

Because of this, California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in Austria in 1947, is ineligible to be president. He moved to the United States in 1968 and became a U.S. citizen in 1983.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mccain; unnecessaryexcerpt
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To: Perdogg

As far my understanding is the president must be born a US Citizen. His parents were US Citizens, therefore he was.
Soil isn’t the issue.


81 posted on 01/31/2008 11:22:38 AM PST by Southerngl
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To: Tanniker Smith
I'm no fan of newsmax, but the residency requirement isn't a problem for McCain, so why would it need to be mentioned.

Because it is part of the same sentence as the "natural born citizen" requirement.

82 posted on 01/31/2008 11:43:29 AM PST by Paleo Conservative
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To: KarlInOhio
Some say the best movie of the year is "There Will Be Blood."

If the Dems lose in the 2008 election, "There Will Be Litigation."

83 posted on 01/31/2008 11:56:26 AM PST by colorado tanker
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To: Perdogg

I thought that if you were born of U.S. citizens you were a natural born U.S. citizen no matter where you were born?


84 posted on 01/31/2008 12:01:01 PM PST by RonF
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To: ReignOfError
Jackson was born in South Carolina -- way up country. Also, it was before the constitution, so it was protected by the "Before the Constitution" clause.

The distinction is between "native-born citizen" -- born in the country, and "natural-born citizen" -- not in need of naturalization.

The founders could certainly not have meant to exclude the child of Mr. and Mrs. Ambassdor to England just because the birth occurred abroad, whether at the embassy, while on vacation in france, or on the high seas returning to the US!

85 posted on 01/31/2008 12:02:22 PM PST by BohDaThone
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To: squidly

Doesn’t matter where he was born, if he was born to US military parents, he’s a natural-born citizen.


86 posted on 01/31/2008 12:02:49 PM PST by CholeraJoe ("A dead whale or a stove boat!")
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To: squidly
If he was born on a U.S. military base (which I’m guessing he was?), then that is U.S. soil. The writer doesn’t make it clear, however, whether he was born on or off base.... which leads me to believe it was on base

Doesn't matter. If his father (or mother) was in the military, and he was, and assigned to an overseas location at the time, then by law he's a natural born citizen.

87 posted on 01/31/2008 12:07:32 PM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: Southside_Chicago_Republican
Does that make John McCain a natural born citizen? If his parents are American citizens, I don't think there's any question about his citizenship status. But whether natural born means born on American soil is something for the courts to decide.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

88 posted on 01/31/2008 12:07:48 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: RC2
Don’t know about base commander but his daddy was a Rear Admiral.........that is why McCain graduated from the Naval Academy. It took him five years when everyone else graduated in four years. He also graduated at the bottom of his class.

Near the bottom. He was fifth from the bottom he wasn't the goat. He also got lots, and lots of demerits.

89 posted on 01/31/2008 12:15:57 PM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: Perdogg

I gave birth to my older daughter in Heidelberg, Germany, while her father was in the US Army. She has a dual citizenship.

I’m sure you know this author has no idea what he’s talking about.


90 posted on 01/31/2008 12:17:30 PM PST by toldyou
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To: Republican Red
Children born to American parents, no matter in which country, are American citizens and not citizens of the country of birth. However, if they are born overseas they can not run for president.
91 posted on 01/31/2008 12:22:58 PM PST by apocalypto
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To: ReignOfError

Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina. I did some research, and it appears that every US President was born in one of the 13 colonies or in a state that was a state at the time of his birth. You are correct, the Constitution makes an exemption for people who were born before 1776.


92 posted on 01/31/2008 12:25:35 PM PST by bobjam
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To: Perdogg
I was born on a stretch of highway in Okinawa between off-base officer's housing and the nearby military hospital.

Does that make me a foreign-born citizen? I don't think so.

93 posted on 01/31/2008 12:28:10 PM PST by The KG9 Kid
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To: Born to Conserve

“Do you know that many service members are not citizens? Or is it just that your gut feelings are more important than law?”

More drama-queen tripe. We were talking about McCain and am sure his parents were US citizens at the time of HIS birth. Trying to throw in every possible permutation of an argument just to make a point is childish.

Name me one child whose American parents that are on military orders overseas that has a child who does not qualify as a natural born citizen.


94 posted on 01/31/2008 12:31:28 PM PST by CodeToad
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To: KarlInOhio
Imagine it is November 5, 2008. President-elect McCain has just beaten Hillary 350-188 in electoral votes. Hillary is packing up the silverware from the hotel ballroom where her victory party was supposed to be, but she is interrupted by her lawyer who says "there is one more thing we can do... by some interpretations of law, McCain isn't a natural born citizen and can't be president." Hillary cackles with delight at the thought of dragging America into chaos...

Kewl! That would mean that the Electors would Choose McCain's running mate instead, and Fred Thompson would be elected President!

95 posted on 01/31/2008 12:32:30 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps (Vote Republican in 2008 or President Hillary Clinton will be reading your FBI file!!!)
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To: bobjam
To nitpick, the Constitution says, "a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution," which would be as of June 21, 1788.

One First Lady was foreign-born, the wife of John Quincy Adams. She was born in London to an American father and English mother.

96 posted on 01/31/2008 12:42:53 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: goldstategop
That might be an issue for the courts. But maybe not.

If children of U.S. citizens born on U.S. facilities abroad are not natural born citizens, what kind of citizens are they? Do they have to be naturalized? Or are they in a middle category between natural born and naturalized? That wouldn't make any sense to me, but with the law, I guess stranger things have happened. Plus -- wasn't the Panama Canal Zone considered a territory of the United States? It had a governor appointed by the President and a U.S. District Court resided there.

97 posted on 01/31/2008 12:49:38 PM PST by Southside_Chicago_Republican (Mind your own business.)
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To: squidly

I had this discussion with a friend of mine, who is Korean-American (She has American citizenship by naturalization) and her son was born on a military installation in another country. Turns out, he CAN serve as Prez, even though she was under the misconception he could not. /shrug


98 posted on 01/31/2008 1:05:29 PM PST by Rick.Donaldson (http://www.transasianaxis.com - Visit for lastest on DPRK/Russia/China/Etc --Fred Thompson for Prez.)
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To: apocalypto
However, if they are born overseas they can not run for president.

If they are born on US soil they are eligible. A military base is considered US soil.
99 posted on 01/31/2008 1:12:01 PM PST by Republican Red (The word "courage" is not in the liberal vocabulary)
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To: Constitution Day

Sometimes I wonder...which is the dumber “news” site: World Net Daily or Newsmax?

Then I decide it’s a tossup and get back to something more meaningful, like counting blades of grass. :)

LOL!


100 posted on 01/31/2008 2:01:27 PM PST by bigfootbob
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