Is it Constitutionally legal for John McCain to run for president?

Not many people know this, but John McCain was not actually born in the United States, he was born in 1936 in what was then part of the Panama Canal Zone, an area of land technically owned by the United States at the time. The Constitution officially states that "No person except a natural born Citizen" can run for president, so is McCain technically running a bogus campaign?

Public Comments

1. No, if your parents are citizens, you get citizenship, and being born anywhere on what is considered US soil grants US citizenship. I know this because my father was born on a military base in Germany.
2. He was born on a Military base, and bases are considered apart of the U.S. So, yes...he can run for President.
3. Yes. Congress just voted on it. He was born in an American territory, and his father was a military officer abroad serving his country. It doesn't matter where the child of a serviceman is born, they are American citizens, with the ability to run for the Presidency.
4. He was born on a US naval base genius. That is soveriegn US soil.
5. "natural born citizen" does not mean born in the US. Do you think all those babies born overseas to military men and women are not citizens? He is a natural born citizen - he was born to parents who were US citizens. And as you already state in your answer - on land owned at the time by the US.
6. Yes. He is a "natural born citizen" as are all citizens born to American parents overseas, in embassies, in the military or simply working outside the US. Natural born US citizen means that you are a citizen at birth. McCain was.
7. The military base he was born on is considered US soil. Meaning, he actually was born in the United States. It's like being born in Puerto Rico or Guam. I guarantee you that if this was even remotely a legal problem it would've been vetted and he would've been taken out of the running ages ago. The GOP is not stupid enough to get snagged on something like this.
8. His parents were American citizens. In fact his grandfather and father are the only father & son to both reach the rank of four star admiral.
9. This same thing was discussed when Barry Goldwater ran. He was born in Arizona before it was a state. I don't think anyone saw it as a serious problem for Goldwater and I don't think anyone will see it as a serious problem for McCain.
10. Yes. He is a natural born citizen.
11. McCain is a natural born citizen. He is a natural born citizen who was born on A US military base in the US Panama Canal Zone to two US citizens. You can't get anymore natrual born than that. This is an old stroy that has been brought up many times before that somehow McCain is not natrual born. It is a bogus story that will never fly.
12. people who are born to parents who are US citizens are considered "Natural Born Citizens" regardless of the location where they are born.
13. He was still born a US citizen. It doesn't matter where you were born but rather what citizenship you are. Obama wasn't born here either, his father wasn't even a citizen of the US but his mother was therefore he qualifies as well. Obama was born in Kenyan oops, I have to retract that statement, he was actually born in Honolulu Hawaii, sorry I was miss-informed but his father was a Kenyan citizen. Look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
14. Technically (for law professors and pundits) it is kind of an open question. Practically speaking, it's fine. There is long-standing precedent that children born to US citizens overseas (i.e. military installations) are automatically US citizens. The only question comes from the Constitution's use of "natural born". Most legal experts agree there's really no real issue since there is no real legal distinction made anywhere else in federal law and children born to citizens anywhere in the world are not classified differently.
15. Must determine what the status was of t hat land. As for being born to american soldiers, is that only applicable if both parents are military? Lets say a woman is native, and american soldier has 5 children with her over a deployment, are they all citizens? Is this retroactive (get your lawyers) !
16. If the area was not foreign land in a foreign country owned by the US government, but rather an area over which the USA had sovereignty, then he would be a natural born Citizen. I think that it was a sovereignty situation, but this should be checked by looking at the Panama Canal treaty, etc. If his father was part of an armed American force in a foreign country, then I think that he is still likely a natural born US Citizen. It goes back to feudal concepts of loyalty (fealty) by the subject to the Monarch with a reciprocal duty of protection by the Monarch.
17. NO, technically and not so technically he is a natural born citizen, the Panama Canal Zone was US territory and his parents were US Citizens, and finally, HIS Father was in the service of his country in the Navy!
18. He absolutely is... The constitution clearly says that all citizens born in the US or on US soil are Americans. American bases are soveriegn US soil. McCain was born on a US military base. Thus it is constitutional. This question has been asked before a hundred times. Do your research before you opine.... and you would know this... is a fact.
19. McCain was born in a military family, his father was in the Navy and was in service when McCain was born. McCain was born of 2 US citizens and is therefore a naturalized citizen of the United States through lineage. Just because he happened to be born overseas does not affect his citizenship, thereby not affecting the Constitutionality of him running for President. Interesting question though!
20. Yes--he CAN constitutionally run for President. This issue was brought up a long time ago. Although he was born in the Panama Canal Zone, he was born to American citizen parents who were stationed there on an American base. The First Congress in 1790 passed a measure that did define children of citizens "born beyond the sea, or out of the limits of the United States to be natural born."
21. We have always considered the children of our military and diplomatic corps born overseas on assignment as US citizens. Why would that be any different now? Because he's a republican? Yes. it is certainly constitutionally legal.
22. You are beating a dead horse that popped up YA! about 4 months ago and was put to rest in the 2000 Election. But, Here it goes. Sen. McCain was born to 2 natural born American citizens, one of which was a serving U.S. Navy officer in the Panama Canal Zone, which was a U.S. territory in 1936, which makes him a natural born American citizen.
23. Yes, as his parents were both Americans, John McCain is a "natural born citizen." It doesn't matter that he was born in an illegally acquired piece of territory that the United States stole from Columbia. However, neither McCain nor his Democratic opponents should be eligible for office for this simple reason. The Repugnants and the Democrats have held this nation by throat and controlled this country for a century. They have deliberately made it impossible for alternative parties to have a meaningful shot at the election process, much less any chance of winning most federal and state positions. This is hegemony, not democracy, in action. There should term limits of some kind for parties too. Real democracy dictates that we give equal access to all political parties so that all citizens have equal representation. Neither of the dominant corporate parties represent me or millions of other people.
24. Wow, what a pathetic attempt to discredit a war hero that happened to be born in a US military facility. In a word answer, "NO". He has every right to run for president. You should read more.
25. Actually, several people know this. It has already been posted and discussed.
26. Yes. A 'natural born citizen' is a person born in the US and/or a child of an American citizen. Both McCain's parents were American citizens, and,yes, he is a 'natural born citizen.'
27. Actually, his parents were on military duty overseas and are also American citizens...
28. My understanding of that constitutional law is that it refers to being a "Natural born US citizen" . I don't think it says born on US soil. Now as to the "bogus" campaign, One of the fatal flaw of Democracy is that Stupid People are allowed to vote. Many Americans consider John McCain to be a War Hero because he was a POW, and therefore somehow qualified to be president? Let's look at that. John was a navy pilot on a mission, that mission was unsuccessful and as a part of that failure he subsequently shot down. That was followed by another failed mission (evasion) and as a result he was captured. The third and final mission was to escape, which was also a failure. What he went through as a pilot and POW was horrendous and painful for which he was deservedly awarded the Purple Heart and given the designation of POW. But hero? I think that we need to think carefully about the labels we so freely bestow. Compare McCains Military experiences with a General Colin Powell or General Norman Shwartzcoff and I think you will find the definition of "Hero"
29. You should read the whole thing. His parents were American and any one born of an American citizen is eligible.
30. No, John McCain should be allowed to run for president. That is a technicality that should not exist, as it was in a military zone for which his father fought for. As a man of the military, McCain's father fought for the United States, like every other military man, to keep our freedoms intact. You, sir, seem to reek of communism.