I think you are quite right, Middle Side.

As to whether people are born in a country or not...I don't think that actually matters. What matters is whether they grew up from a pretty young age in a country, because that determines whether they feel like they belong to it. For example, I know several Canadians who came over to this country with their parents when they were quite young...say, five years old, 10 years old, etc. Still children. And then they grew up in this country. They ARE Canadians in every way that matters and they think like Canadians. There is no reason why any one of them could not properly serve as our Prime Minister (all other things being equal).

Where a person was technically born is not the issue. Who they think they ARE within themselves is the issue. Anyone who thinks he's a Canadian and really believes that he is...IS a Canadian. And it works the same way for Americans. Therefore I don't believe it really matters where Obama was born...it just matters what he thinks within himself about himself.

kendall - I'm also conservative about a variety of things and liberal about a variety of things, and I think that's true of almost everyone. The great "conservative/liberal" divide in America is a primitive game of crude stereotyping meant to divide the public into 2 warring camps...and so far it has worked magnificently. This benefits the powers that be, and helps to keep them in power as they play off one half of the public against the other half and do the "good cop/bad cop" routine at election time.