It is not required. This is what no one seems to understand.
Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton...heck...even Larouche never had to hand over a birth certificate to anyone.
Well, Steve, up until Obama and McCain, it was not necessary for Reagan, Clinton, Carter, etc. because there was no doubt the people you mentioned are natural born citizens, born in the US and all had American parents. Had anyone questioned it, they would have had to produce their long form birth certificate to a Secretary of State, the Senate or to a judge if ordered to do so.
One of the Secretaries of State or more tossed out the candidate papers of a Hispanic third party candidate during this election because he was foreign born. Amazingly, other SOS’s permitted him to be on the ballot knowing he was not a natural born citizen! No one made a big deal of it because they knew he was not going to win the election and it was not worth the legal costs. I read about it long ago and can not remember the details on this guy.
Democrats, controling Congress at the time of the election, investigated McCain’s status because he was born overseas. There had been a court decision or something that covered the kids born to military people born overseas while on duty. No one checked Obama even though there is questions about Obama’s natural born citizenship status.
Knowing there were questions about Obama’s status and knowing the Democrats blocked efforts to have him and McCain both examined (Democrats are so thoughtful when in power!), I think Obama should have just matched what McCain was doing out of respect for the constitution, honor and out of good will. That is what good American leaders do.
Since he did not, he has been in courts ever since. He needs to do it in court NOW and stop acting like the constitution is a political game. He’s making himself look guilty and sleezy like a tin pot dictator operating in a banana republic. He is not above the constitution and he is not above the people.
Obviously, no one questioned them because they were an open book. They were born in the US to US citizens making them natural born citizens. If a question had come up about their origins, they would have been subjected to scrutiny like Obama. In fact, I hear Ronald Reagan's birth certificate is on display at his library in Simi Valley, CA. I've seen your tired statement above posted here too many times.
Clinton and Reagan didn’t have a Kenyan Daddy.
We have to admit, this is the first president not born of pure US pedigree. And it stinks like shit.