A MAN, A PLAN, A MCCAIN, PANAMA
March 19th, 2008, 1:31 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Dan Lehr
Here we go again. A man in Nashua, New Hampshire has filed a lawsuit claiming that John McCain was a naturalized citizen because he was born back in 1919 (or whenever, we’re not checking) at a military base near the Panama Canal.
From the article:
Fred Hollander’s suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, asks a judge to order McCain to withdraw, and the GOP to nominate someone else. The Constitution requires that only “natural born” citizens hold the presidency, a term on which the Founding Fathers did not elaborate. A McCain campaign spokeswoman says the issue was raised in 2000, when McCain last ran for president, and it was deemed ridiculous. New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen declined to comment on the merits of Hollander’s arguments, but said, “We appreciate Mr. Hollander reminding voters that Senator McCain’s family has been in service to this nation since literally the day John McCain was born.” The “natural born” question has surfaced before, but has never been decided definitively by U.S. courts. Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee for President, was born in Arizona three years before it became a state, but lost the general election to John F. Kennedy.
Folks, give this issue a rest. It’s highly likely that any court looking at this issue will rule in McCain’s favor; otherwise, what kind of message does that send to the children of U.S. military members serving around the world? That their children don’t deserve to be eligible for the nation’s highest office? Please.
