Let naturalized Americans run for president

ON TUESDAY, CITIZENS in an electoral-vote-rich state reelected a governor who had once seemed in danger of defeat. That sort of political resurrection ordinarily would be good for a mention or two in the endless speculation about 2008 presidential candidates. Unfortunately, this reelected governor can forget about aspiring to the highest office in the land.

Why? Because the governor, though eligible to administer a major state of the union, is barred from the White House by Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which says: “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.”

A reflection of the framers’ worries about meddling in the new nation’s affairs by European monarchies, this restriction makes no sense in the 21st century, when even opponents of legalizing undocumented aliens acknowledge that this is a nation of immigrants. It’s insulting that a legal immigrant to the U.S. who has twice won election as governor cannot aspire to the presidency.

The Constitution shouldn’t be amended lightly. But this is a matter of principle: a core principle about the equality of opportunity in our society to strive for the highest office. Congress and state legislatures should adopt a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that would put all citizens 35 and older on equal footing when it comes to the highest office in the land. Americans should be free to decide whether they want to be led by President Jennifer Granholm.

Gotcha! Who’d you think we were talking about? Jennifer Granholm, a naturalized American who was born in Canada, was reelected governor of Michigan on Tuesday. Were you perhaps thinking of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger?

In this nation of immigrants, there will always be individuals affected by this arcane discrimination, and the urgency to address the matter should not be dampened by partisan concerns that it may help one candidate or another. Indeed, it would be nice to see California Democrats spearhead the movement, even if it could theoretically benefit our Austrian-born governor.

If Americans wanted Schwarzenegger in the White House, the fact that he is a naturalized citizen (who no doubt appreciates his earned U.S. citizenship a lot more than many people born here) is no reason to deprive them of that choice.

The requirement that the president be a “natural born” citizen excludes not only immigrants who came here as adults or teenagers but also every infant adopted from abroad who will remember no other homeland but the United States. And it sends them a message that, regardless of anything else they feel or do in their lifetime, they can’t really be full, trustworthy Americans.

Congress has taken some of the sting out of the “natural born” requirement, enacting legislation that makes it clear that some children born of Americans living abroad are more “natural” than others. But to excise the “natural born” requirement entirely will require a constitutional amendment, and that means approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate and three-fourths of the states. Congress should at least hold hearings on this proposal.

It’s admittedly an uphill battle. Polls show little support for such an amendment. But a campaign on its behalf (featuring such notable foreign-born Americans as Michael J. Fox, former Intel Chief Executive Andy Grove, Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright) would strive to correct a historical wrong and would serve as the perfect antidote to the acrimonious debate surrounding illegal immigration.