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| Home Front: Politix |
| Eligibility Goes Beyond Citizenship |
| 2008-08-22 |
| I don't know if the allegations found in Philip Berg's civil action are true. I did not sever Barack Obama's umbilical cord, I do not know anyone who did, and therefore I cannot know for sure absent more than circumstantial evidence whether or not Stanley Ann Dunham opened wide and gave birth to the Illinois liberal in Kenya, in Hawaii, or elsewhere. Perhaps we can look into the destination for mass shipments of gold, frankincense and myrrh in early August of 1961. Or perhaps we could just ask Keith Olbermann -- I'm sure he has a framed photograph of the blessed event. What I do know is that, when the United States Constitution was penned mere steps from where Berg's lawsuit was filed yesterday afternoon, those imperfect but brilliant gentlemen who wrote the fifth clause of Article II, Section 1 established the trio of specific eligibility requirements--citizenship, age and residency--in hopes of increasing the probability that the elected officials who were to assume the presidency in years to come would be of sound mind, of good judgment, and in possession of a soul rooted in an undying love for America. It was important to those courageous men that the future leaders of their fledgling nation understand what it means to be an American. Every clause in that document is there for a reason, each a lesson learned from fresh wounds of tyranny gone but not forgotten, and the framers made a point to require that, at the very least, a potential president must have been a citizen of the United States "at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution." Unfettered, undivided devotion and loyalty to America was of the utmost concern; simply put, only those who fought and bled for Her independence, or at the very least understood the meaning behind, need for and potential of this great experiment could be trusted with its charge. Regardless of whether Barack Obama was born in a hospital in Honolulu or a hut in Kenya, the real question brought forth by Philip Berg's civil action, to me, is not one of constitutional eligibility but rather of moral and intellectual and even ideological qualification. Barack Obama's actions show a penchant for blaming America first and placing Her needs second. His associations show that no unimaginably awful deed goes unrewarded, that the want for friendship, appeasement and superficial detente overshadows the need for a firm grasp on reality and unapologetic employment of common sense. His aspirations make us believe that we can live our lives blameless for societal and economic ills, and that centuries-old blood feuds can be solved with a handshake and conversation over coffee and a chilled plate of arugula. John McCain, wrong on so many issues, was 100 percent right on Wednesday when he stated that he never questioned Obama's patriotism, only his judgment. At a time when the United States faces unprecedented threats from every angle, within and without, at a time when Congressional malfeasance--or, in the case of Pelosi's House and the energy crisis, nonfeasance--could have disastrous effects for decades to come, sound judgment is of the utmost importance. For our founding fathers, unflinching patriotism, unassailable public virtue and unflappable judgment were inherent among those who helped to establish the United States of America, whether on the battlefield in Trenton or in Congress in Philadelphia, as those who were citizens "at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution" knew why they were there, what America was about, and why She was so desperately needed. Regardless of whether he was born in Kenya or in Hawaii, regardless of whether his birth certificate is his half-sister's or his own, or whether he went by the name of Barack Obama or Barry Soetoro, this self-proclaimed "Citizen of the World" has much to learn about what it truly means to be an American. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |