Obama's Eligibility Diversion

[Geee]

American Thinker:

Having followed the Obama "natural born" citizenship quandary since its inception, I had always viewed the controversy over Obama's birthplace and other records as a diversion from the real issue: Obama's dual citizenship precluded his constitutional eligibility.

My position was also influenced by my desire to elevate discussion on the inextricably related issue of birthright citizenship as a key component in effective immigration reform. Birthright citizenship is the practice of conferring U.S. citizenship to every baby born on U.S. soil, regardless of the nationality, domicile, or legal status of its parents.

The practice, seen by many as an illegal immigration magnet, also often results in the dilemma of double allegiance, a "supra-citizen" status held by millions of Americans. Although the State Department rarely enforces its policies discouraging dual citizenship, it does recognize its security clearance implications. And the department confirmed that Obama was born a dual citizen.

Citizenship, its rights and responsibilities, and presidential eligibility are more than merely "rinky-dink" technicalities. Polls consistently reflect both the nation's overwhelming desire for immigration reform and the fact that many still have "natural born" eligibility questions.

Following the Georgia eligibility challenges, the mainstream media had been forced to note another symptom of what they pejoratively refer to as "birtherism," since two of the three challenges centered not on Obama's birthplace, but on constitutional law and Supreme Court precedent. Most of the media, however, concluded that "birthers" merely switched their argument, after Obama released his long-form birth certificate last April, to his dual citizenship. I can personally attest that is not true, although I recognize that some so-called "birthers" do focus primarily on either the documents issue or the constitutional debate.

Whatever the opinion, many are beginning to note that the entire spectrum of questions points to the most troubling realization of all: the lack of transparency of Obama, the arrogant attitude of this administration toward the rule of law, and the support and complacency of the mainstream media.