Obama Backs Law Helping McCain

[NYCGirl]

Amazingly cool!

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/29/obama_backs_law_to_ensure_mcca.html

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign announced he would co-sponsor legislation introduced yesterday by his political ally Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) to ensure that John McCain can become president, even though he was born in the Panama Canal Zone.

The issue of McCain's eligibility was raised in a New York Times article noting the constitutional requirement that a U.S. president be a "natural-born citizen" had never been fully defined.

The McCaskill bill, submitted immediately after she scrawled it onto a notepad on the Senate floor in response to the Times story, would establish the eligibility of anyone born to a U.S. citizen who is serving overseas as an active or reserve member of the U.S. armed forces. The Arizona senator's father was a Navy officer serving in the Canal Zone when McCain was born there in 1936.

"Senator McCain has earned the right to be his party's nominee, and no loophole should prevent him from competing in this campaign," Obama said.

[madrchsod]

1. great...clears up any problems

a class act.

[deadmessengers]

2. Good for him.

Smart, and fair. The idea that McCain might be ineligible because of his birth in Panama is positively ridiculous, and positively Rovian. Obama's showing that he's better than that.

[Bucky]

7. Smart, fair, and crazy like a fox

I hope he hypes the shit out of this move.

[goclark]

10. So can ARnold run for President now?

[NYCGirl]

12. No, unless his parents were American citizens serving in the military. NT

[goclark]

16. That helps me sleep at night - thanks

[damonm]

3. And it's the RIGHT thing to do - the issue is BS, and needs to go away. nt

[Bicoastal]

4. Honestly? This is the best thing for all of us.

The NYT intern story gave McCain a good bump in the polls...the last thing we want to do is start crying "IZ NOT FAIR! HE'S NOT A REAL MURKIN!" His numbers would skyrocket if we did that.

Good for Obama. I'm not so sure Clinton would do this, though, given her propensity for filing lawsuits against the rules a few days before the game.

[Eurobabe]

5. MEthinks its disgruntled GOPers who have buyer's remorse pushing this meme

Good for Obama on this.

What a bullshit non-issue this is - McCain is a US Citizen, and any question to the contrary is a slap in the face to military families.

(Besides, we can beat Gramps. ;) )

[rzemanfl]

6. Cheney and Bush, however, did both reside in Texas. What a

difference the correct ruling on that issue would have made to all of us.

[k8conant]

8. The law already says McCain was a US citizen from birth...

Why would we need to add this? To discriminate against civilians?

[Adelante]

9. I'm glad

This whole thing was insulting to the armed services.

[K Gardner]

11. I just love Barack Hussein Obama. What an absolutely cool and amazing future President !

[Forkboy]

13. OK, I think that's very cool. On this I hope all will agree.

:thumbsup:

[ericgtr]

14. K&R

He just continues to show his class through and through.

:kick:

[rzemanfl]

15. This is worded in a way that makes many people who have

spent their whole lives in Vietnam eligible to run for President.