WASHINGTON, Oct.6, 2004
It's not about Arnold, lawmakers indicated. But the California governor
was certainly one of the stars on many minds on Tuesday as a Senate
panel talked about amending the Constitution so that the Oval Office
is no longer restricted to native-born Americans.
A hearing to consider the "Natural Born Citizen Act" showed
broad support among Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who called
current restrictions "outdated."
"The decision to include the natural-born citizen requirement
in our Constitution was largely driven by the concern over 200 years
ago that a European monarch might be imported to rule the US,"
said Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the
legislation's main backer. "This restriction has become an anachronism
that is decidedly un-American."
His bill seeks to amend the US Constitution, which currently requires
that the president and vice president be native-born Americans who have
resided on US soil for at least 14 years before taking office.
The bill would allow a naturalised American who has been a citizen
for at least 20 years to assume the US presidency; similar legislation
in the House of Representatives would set the threshold at 35 years.
Amending the Constitution would require two-thirds majority votes in
the House and Senate, then approval by three-fourths of states.
Steps discussed by the senators would remove the prohibition against
foreign-born presidents, opening the job to Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, along with millions of others.
Lawmakers said their constituents have clamoured for a change in current
law, which also bars from the Oval Office children born in foreign countries
who have been adopted by US citizens.