This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen. You are attacking a newspaper for a story it has not run yet. This is idiotic. If they don’t run the story you look like morons.

If you are born on an American base you are natural born. I would be shocked if the NYT runs this.

Prepare to look really dumb.

Seth,

Thanks for that info. But my question was if they are considered Americans. I know the citizenship rules and qualifications. My question is about who should be considered an American.

You can be an American and not be a citizen, no?

It just show how desperate Barrack/Clinton are.
I thought that McCain gets creamed by the Dems, if that is true why is all this crap coming out? HUM…

Unfortunately, this question isn’t exactly a matter of settled law.

The U.S. Constitution’s requirements that presidents must meet include that he/she be a “natural born citizen.”

Sen. McCain is unquestionably a U.S. citizen since birth, under the provisions of the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA). He probably qualifies more than one way in that regard.

It’s not a matter of settled constitutional law that a U.S. citizen from birth is the same as a “natural born citizen.”

For some reason, the Federal Election Commission has let Sen. McCain file, so I’m reluctant to second guess them. However, this could conceivably go to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle.

Incidentally, this question was raised weeks ago in various web logs; it’s not much of surprise that it took the NYT this long to catch up with the “amateurs.”

Lastly, being born on a U.S. base doesn’t make on a U.S. citizen, although a lot of people seem to think it does. It matters where one is born, whether in the U.S. or not, or it matters who one’s parents are.

You stole my thunder by about 60 seconds, Rob. Curse you and the Blog you rode in on!

I can’t leave it at that. Hannitized is engaging in sophistry here by asking “who should be considered Americans.” Living and working in a country-any country-does not impart you citizenship. Citizenship is an implied oath of feality and belonging to a nation and culture that is usually imparted by birth, sometimes (and probably more meaningfully) by deliberate choice and action. This is BY DEFINITION. There are legal ramifications to citizenship, and to changing citizenship.

People who aren’t citizens but merely work and live in a country are aliens/immigrants, whether legal or illegal Although there are different legal ramifiacations to which status the alien enjoys, they are still at the end of the day not a citizen. Again, this is BY DEFINITION.

These are nigh-on universally recognized concepts the world over, and only people with a contra-majoritarian agenda even attempt to argue otherwise.

Or perhaps hannitized means to imply that people can simply “feel” American. As laudable as that is, until they make a deliberate choice to become an American-which is a set and well defined process, accessible to all law-abiding aliens-they are not Americans. It’s fine to feel a thing, but it does not make it so. Hypothetically speaking, on any given day I could feel very Mongolian, but the Mongols may have some qualms about allowing me to make such a claim without a legally binding oath of fealty. My feelings wouldn’t do anything to change the very real fact of my avctual American citizenship.

All of the above statements aren’t conjectures on what should be, but are observations about how things are and have been since time immemorial. Which is why I say it is sophistry (at best) to even hint that someone who doesn’t enjoy legal status as member of a nation can be a member of that nation. By definition, they can’t be.

After all, we’d have reached a pretty dark day in America when a veteran who served his country as McCain did and was born on a US military base to two American citizens one of whom later became a Navy Admiral (and was himself the son of a Navy Admiral) isn’t considered an American.

I think it’s a question worth asking, not pushing.

This does bring an interesting question to mind though. What about all the children of illegal immigrants who were born here or brought here when they were young but then serve in the military. Are they Americans?

How about the immigrants who come that are in their teens and join the military and serve? Are they Americans in your eyes?

Just curious.

If he’s not a natural born citizen does that mean he can be retired if he attempts to return to Earth, I mean, America?

If McCain should win the General Election the Democrats will be in court before you can say “Al Gore.”

The question is a constitutional can of worms.
Some states Secretary of State or Director of Elections could conceivably refuse to put Mac’s name on the ballot by their interpretation.
You have the Electoral College,
the president of the Senate , the Archivist of the United States and who knows how many others and arcane rules are involved.

Chuck Berry

Workin in the fillin station – too many tasks.
Wipe the windows – check the tires – check the oil – dollar gas!
Too much monkey business. too much monkey business.
Dont want your botheration, get away, leave me!

Too much monkey business for me!!

Hey, I’m an A-list blogger. I don’t miss much.