I think this is like Elizabeth Warren's Cherokee claim's.

Used conveniently to fulfill diversity claims, but everyone else just doesn't care.

Given one of his paretns was an american citizen he could have been born on Mars and still qualify as a natural US citizen.

Did he claim to be a forgien national when applying to college of for foriegn aid?

Did he claim to be a forgien national when applying to college of for foriegn aid?

That maybe why he has his transcripts locked, sealed.

"...he could have been born on Mars and still qualify as a natural US citizen."---lujlp

The issue is whether he still qualifies to be the President where the US Constitution specifically mandates the President must be a natural born citizen. That is what the birth certificate fight was all about. And it appears settled he was born in Hawaii. But why did he insist on the book insert above that he was born in Kenya ? More to the story ?

And people wonder why I don't trust him.

Sort of like having a palatial estate in Kennebunkport and a ranch in Texas -- how do you sell yourself as a down-home guy that regular folks'd like to have brewski with?

That's right. You tout the gigantic expensive blue-nosed northeastern liberal elite homestead, of course. Wait. I mean you cut brush on your Texas ranch for the photo op.

It's just marketing the candidate, folks. Relax. Obama is not the Manchurian Candidate your extreme right-wing county judge and/or bible-thumpin' pastor is flinging spittle over, no more than he is the answer to every black person's gripe about America post-slavery.

I never understood the 'birther' movement Nick.

As the child of an american citizen even if he had been born in Kenya he would be eligable for president.

You are a US citizen by birth by virtue of being a child of an american no matter where you are born so long as one of your parents was a citizen before the time of your birth. Or by being born within the boarderes of the USA regardless of the citizenship of your parents.

Which always makes me wonder Perto Rico is not a state but a territory and protectorate, so could a Puerto Rican run for president?

The funny thing about the birther debate is McCain was born in Panama. US bases are rarely considered sovriegn US soil like embassies are.

There's a southron-ism that says "Just because your kittens were born in the oven doesn't make them biscuits." I'd say most people relate to who they are based on other things than where they're born. I was born in Venezuela, it doesn't make me Hispanic. I put it on the surveys, though.

"Sort of like having a palatial estate in Kennebunkport and a ranch in Texas..." Well, not quite like that. Kennebunkport and Texas are both in the U.S.A., and Kenya is not. Not that it makes any difference with regard to President Obama's citizenship, since he was most likely born in the U.S.A., unlike John McCain who was not born in the U.S.A. But Barack Obama, or someone with his apparent approval, said he was born in Kenya, so it's reasonable to expect that some people will believe that his Hawaiian birth certificate is fake.

It's just marketing the candidate, folks. Relax. Exactly! Politicians lie all the time. They only do it to get money and power, and maybe sex, so it's no big deal. Hey, just because they lie to get elected, it doesn't mean we can't trust them to run the government with our best interest at heart.

I think they're all Manchurian Candidates. Vote 'em out.

"Kenya Make College Cheaper?"

I don't know if being Kenyan can make college cheaper, but I guess lying can.

"No person except a natural born citizen ...shall be eligible to the Office of the President." Article II, section 4, U.S. Constitution.

The birther movement would not have arisen if the Constitution had said, "Anyone, if foreign born, whose parent is a citizen of the US is eligible to the Office of the President."

Maybe that's not fair. And maybe reasonable people disagree with the concept that the President must be natural born. But that's what the constitution says.

Well back when everyone was saying that should be changed to let Arnie run; my reply is "Hitler was an Austrian too."

One explanation for falsely claiming a birthplace is rooted in the same explanation he went from being Barry to being Barack. Within the left wing social justice circles he was part of, being a Kenyan named Barack is better for your career than being a middle class guy named Barry.

President Obama using fancy footwork with the truth certainty doesn't make him unique within Politics. One's ability to play fast and loose with situations/the truth is required to achieve political power. Again, that is not unique to president Obama or to a particular candidate or particular party. But what should also be a requirement for achieving high political power (most especially POTUS) is vetting. A media that will dig into the person to give a picture of what he/she did, believed in, opined on, organizations he/she were part of, mentors, influences, level of success, where he/she thrived versus didn't thrive, etc etc.

I guess the media largely forget about that step. Understandable, they are very busy. I feel certain saying the reason for the lack of vetting was not because to do so, to uncover and talk about President Obama's pre-political office years, would be to make him markedly less electable as President. Maybe that electric feeling running up and down their legs when they listened to him speak temporarily disabled their ability to do their jobs?

"No person except a natural born citizen..."

I don't think I've heard of anyone who disagrees "with the concept that the President must be natural born." Unfortunately the Constitution doesn't define "natural born citizen". I think it means anyone who is entitled to citizenship by or at birth. I think that would include someone born outside the U.S.A. whose parents are American citizens.

@Ken R: Unfortunately the Constitution doesn't define "natural born citizen"
__________

They probably didn't think they had to. It simply meant someone who was a citizen of the United States from the moment of their birth. Anyone who became a citizen after being a citizen of another country wasn't eligible.

Of course, definition that was obvious to them at the time held up for over 200 years, until it appeared to cause problems for a media darling.

The Senate actually held a hearing in 2008 to certify McCain's natural born status, since he was born in Panama. They should have done the same for Obama.

Whether or not Obama is truly a natural born citizen aside, this is largely a problem of his own making. Self serving bio's like this that change his history for convenience, his travel to destinations at times when the United States didn't allow travel using its passports, etc.

Imagine if Paul Ryan said things about his birthplace during the campaign that contracted his book bios and college records. Imagine him campaigning in Florida saying he was born there trying to woo votes, when he claimed to be a life-long Wisconsin resident when he was running for the house. Don't you think the media would have a field day with him, and his opponents question his honesty? Of course they would... so why anyone would be surprised that it is happening to Obama is beyond me.

First off, this was not written by Obama and even the editor of the piece has admitted that it was an error:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/booklet.asp

More generally, the concept of a "natural born citizen" and eligibility for the presidency is an interesting one. Several serious candidates have been born outside the US (John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone and George Romney was born in Mexico), but the issue has not been definitively resolved by US courts.

So I guess you didnt bother to read the article, Interjection?

Cause according to the agency which hawked his book authors are responsible for submitting their own bios.