Obama on local TV news last night -- in *Hawai'i*!

[KamaAina]

Turns out the junior Senator from Illinois is actually a local boy, born here and educated at Punahou, our old-line prep school that is almost on par with Andover (and does not, as far as I am aware, have male cheerleaders :-) ) Alas, like many of our best young people, he succumbed to the "brain drain" and ended up in Illinois. Boy, could we ever have used him during that '02 governor's race...

http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/politics/3530992/detail.html

HONOLULU -- Punahou graduate Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston later this month....

Obama's mother and father met at the University of Hawaii. His father is African, from Kenya, and his mother is white. When Obama was 2 years old, his father left the family and returned to Kenya.

Obama was born in Hawaii and attended Punahou School. He played on the state champion Punahou basketball team in 1979....

Obama returns to Hawaii each December. His grandmother and sister live in the islands.

So, after all is said and done, in effect, we'll have three Dem Senators!! :bounce:

And in case you're wondering, Sen. Obama is only 42, so he was born in the State (rather than the Territory) of Hawai'i; thus, no potential barrier to his becoming the first black President (except maybe Harold Ford Jr. :-) )

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. People born in a Territory can't become President???

That's twisted!

[AP]

4. Yeah, so nobody born in Iraq in last year or so can become President.

[dsc]

5. that is not quite true

It depends on the kind of territory. Several Presidents were born in territories. I think a person born in Puerto Rico is eligable to be President to give one example.

[KamaAina]

6. Actually he probably could, anyway

Our Constitution says that:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A2Sec1

This is the section that some repukes want to amend so that Gropenator Ahh-nuld could run for President.

In practice, a "natural born Citizen" is defined as broadly as possible:

http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html

Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in those gaps. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:"

Anyone born inside the United States

Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person's status as a citizen of the tribe

Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S.

Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national

Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year (so Obama would have been covered, as his mom is/was a citizen)

Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21

Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)

A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S.

Anyone falling into these categories is considered natural-born, and is eligible to run for President or Vice President. These provisions allow the children of military families to be considered natural-born, for example.

[ButterflyBlood]

9. not true, or else Goldwater wouldn't have been able to run

He was born in Arizona terroritory, 3 years before Arizona became a state.

[SoFlaJet]

2. I saw him this morning on TV

and I am impressed.It'll be nice to have a man of color in the senate.The GOP have no opposition,since Ryan and Ditka bowed out.I kinda liked what ditka said yesterday-he KNOWS his voice would do nothing and affect the same so F-it he makes more $$$$$$$$ in private biz.Good call Mike

[chelsea0011]

3. I saw him, also. I was very impressd

I just wonder when the repukes start running Osama ads to link the similar names.

[LuminousX]

7. Dirty Tricks

That is their only hope.

[Cha]

8. Cool! I had no idea this was Barack Obama's history...

Now I will pay more attention to his candidacy..

My son lives on Kauai in Koloa Town.