Despite Panama Canal Zone Birth, John McCain is a Natural Born Citizen

In case you didn't know, that is Article 2 Section 1 of the United States Constitution. Essentially, the founders of America wanted to make sure that only those who were natural born citizens would be able to hold the office of the presidency. The 14^th Amendment also describes what it means to be a citizen of the United States: Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

The reason for this is clear: can John McCain hold the office of the Presidency? According to the Cleveland Leader, "Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was born August 29, 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone on a U.S. military base to two United States citizens." So is he a "natural born" Citizen? The question is important when you talk about what it means to be a U.S. citizen. I feel that Senator McCain should be considered a "Natural Born" citizen and should be allowed to hold the office of the Presidency if he should win.

First, let's look at the arguments against Senator McCain. The idea is that only those individuals, who are born in one of the 50 states or territories, should be considered a natural born citizen. To me, this is a ridiculous statement. While the United States never claimed Panama as a part of their territory, we have a military base located there. I think this is an important point. The United States has numerous bases located throughout the world and each of those bases is considered a part of United States Territory. That is one of the main reasons why a lot of people dislike America, because they feel we are intruding upon their governments sovereignty by having our bases located inside their territory.

I question the validity of someone arguing that a person who was born to two American citizens, served in the U.S. Military, fought in a War for America, was a P.O.W. and tortured and has served as a United States Senator has less of a right to run for the Presidency than someone who was born inside the United States to illegal immigrants and never served their country.

The United States authority in this matter is clear. We consider any military bases and embassies to be a part of the United States, regardless of where they were located. As an article from the Monthly Review points out, when America controls a base, the United States has jurisdiction over that area. Much like the District of Columbia is a part of the United States, so to are U.S. territories (the example they give regards Cuba and Guantanamo Bay). I am sure that any court, if it was ever challenged, would agree with that analysis and let Senator McCain run for the Presidency.United States Constitution, Article 2 Section 1, USConstitution.net
Wikipedia, "Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution" Wikipedia.com

Julie, "John McCain's Citizenship Status & Eligibility for the Presidency called into Question", Cleveland Leader

Francis Steffan, "John McCain, is he even eligible to be President", American Chaos

The Editors, "U.S. Military Bases and Empire", Monthly Review