Can a clone be President?

No, I am not referring to John McCain, the Bush clone (as the Dems would like to charecterize him).

According to the US Constitution, only a "natural born citizen" can be President. This the exact wording: "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."

As any one can imagine, the term "natural born citizen" is open to interpretation, and perhaps an anachronism.

There have been Supreme Court rulings and over-turnings, Congressional laws to address various cases; but still there is some confusion about say, someone born to US parents outside the USA - whether they are considered citizens by birth or by naturalization. (Incidentally, John McCain was born at a U.S. military base offshore to U.S. parents.)

But my concern is about the bio-engineered future - are persons born by artificial insemination, or in vitro fertilization, let alone cloning, considered "natural born"? There is no way the writers of the Constitution could have considered these cases. (In fact, there was apparently no debate or discusison over the "narutal born citizen" clause before the Constitution was adopted.)

If you argue that the Constitution doesn't say "naturally conceived", just "natural born", then how about Ceaserean births? Are those "natural" births?

My point is not to nit pick on definitions and Constitutional gray areas. I often wonder where the balance should be between conserving the sanctity of the Constitution and keeping it updated as values and realities change with time.

I also find it ironical that a country built on immigration has this exclusion, whereas India, a country brutalized by foreign rule doesn't.

important stuff

The important decisions in your life all seem to have some common characteristics:

• Your situation is unique (at least, different from all the people you know)
• You have most probably never dealt with something like that before
  
• There is no single right answer
• Circumstances are never perfect (you'll most probably have to compromise on something)
• There is no deadline
• It's extremely difficult or impossible to predict the outcome
• You can never reduce the data to any formula or spreadsheet or anything simplistic like that (i.e. there are always unknowns and unquantifiables)
  
• No matter how much you analyze, research, meditate, pray, in the end it will still feel like a gamble

But, you'll do well not to succumb to buyer-remorse, no matter what you decide!