Election 08; Was John McCain born in America? Can John McCain Legally Become U.S. President?

Even as the far right reject John McCain after the Obama apology, and as the right wing plays Muslim card against Obama, John McCain may have other concerns - His own legal ability to be sworn in as president.

Here is a interesting story about John McCain and whether he can legally become president of the United States.

AAPP: If this was Barack Obama's situation, would this issue be on the front page of every newspaper and on every political talk show in America?

oops... Here are a few, including of all papers the NY times. The NY times just posted the article as I was writing this post. I guess it will get more discussion now. But the question will remain, Is McCain going to get a free ride because he is a white male? Take a look at the pictures of other white males who got a free ride.

McCain's success revives debate on being natural-born
Houston Chronicle, United States -
John McCain of Arizona, the issue is becoming more than a matter of parental daydreaming. McCain's likely nomination as the Republican candidate for ...
McCain’s Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries New York Times
Don’t know much about Geography Blogger News Network

McCain's birthplace prompts queries about whether that rules him out

From left, LOWELL P. WEICKER JR., of Connecticut, born in Paris, was told he was eligible for the Oval Office. GEORGE ROMNEY, born in Mexico, ran for the presidency in 1968. BARRY GOLDWATER was born in the Arizona territory in 1909, before it became a state. CHESTER A. ARTHUR was born in Vermont, but rumors suggested it was Canada.

Source: NY Times

The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental United States for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president? In the case of Senator John McCain of Arizona, the issue is becoming more than a matter of parental daydreaming.

McCain's likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a "natural-born citizen" can hold the nation's highest office.

Almost since those words were written in 1787 with scant explanation, their precise meaning has been the stuff of confusion, law school review articles, whisper campaigns and civics class debates over whether only those delivered on American soil can be truly natural born. To date, no American to take the presidential oath has had an official birthplace outside the 50 states.

"There are powerful arguments that Senator McCain or anyone else in this position is constitutionally qualified, but there is certainly no precedent," said Sarah Duggin, an associate professor of law at Catholic University who has studied the issue extensively. "It is not a slam-dunk situation."

McCain was born on a military installation in the Canal Zone, where his mother and father, a navy officer, were stationed. His campaign advisers say they are comfortable that McCain meets the requirement and note that the question was researched for his first presidential bid in 1999 and reviewed again this time around. Read More HERE