Newly elected Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been making quite a splash in his seven month stint in the U. S. Senate. Taking positions that at times seem to the right of Genghis Khan, and acting like the arrogant, smart-ass new kid in class, Cruz is nevertheless a force to be reckoned with in 2016 presidential politics.
Despite his demeanor -- and perhaps his playing to the Tea Party gallery to gain their support -- Cruz is a Harvard Law School graduate. Some had begun to talk about him as the one who could get the Tea Party support in a primary and then swing to center for the general election.
Today, he acknowledged that he was born in Canada. The U. S. Constitution specifies that the president must be a "natural born citizen," but it does not define "natural born." Does that mean born on U. S. soil? Or born of a U. S. parent? If it is the latter, then he is eligible, because his mother was an Amercian citizen born in Baltimore.
John McCain was born in Panama, where his father was serving in the U. S. military. That did not make him ineligible to be president, because he was born on a U. S. military base and thus was considered to be born on U. S. soil.
Or is the issue being born to an American citizen no matter the geography? That argument would destroy the birthers' case against Obama, because his mother was a citizen even if he was born in Kenya, as they claimed.
This could get interesting -- especially if, to support Cruz for president, they would have to give up on their birther claims against Obama. Of course, there wouldn't be much gained by continuing that ridiculous quest by then anyway, so maybe they could get over their "birth anxiety."
Ralph
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