"Well his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven't seen any birth certificate," Shelby said on Saturday, in response to a constituent's question at a public event. "You have to be born in America to be president."Would he be saying this if Obama's father had been from, say, Canada? Or if his name were Brent O'Brennan? No, I don't think so. To foment the ridiculous notion that Obama is anything other than a 100% legitimate American citizen is disgraceful, contemptible behavior. It is totally unbecoming for a US Senator to act this way. Further, he is impugning the integrity of the sitting President of the United States on a matter of constitutional law.
He should be censured by the Senate.
Posts
We have evidence that Canadian birth can be used against a vice-presidential candidate. AIUI, Chester Arthur alleged to have been born in Canada; oddly enough, his father wasn't a US citizen (he was Irish) but his mother was a US citizen, much like Mr. Obama's family situation. Of course, despite rumors, Mr. Arthur was elected VP and became President after Mr. Garfield died. So, yes, I think it is clear that political rivalry can lead to accusations of foreign birth even against supposed Canadian-born Irishmen.
ReplyDeleteI remain skeptical, John.
ReplyDelete