June 23, 2011

By Dean Haskins

The ongoing saga of the communications with my Virginia elected officials continues (see: here , here , and here ).  Today, I received a somewhat surprising email response from U.S. Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) in which he appears to know more about the issues than has been indicated by the letters written by his cohorts.

Dear Mr. Haskins:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the recent release of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. It is good to hear from you.

As you know, the Constitution establishes the qualifications of President of the United States.  Only a natural born citizen, at least 35 years of age, and having resided in the United States for at least 14 years is eligible for the Office of President.

A President-elect’s eligibility has traditionally been verified by public record and vetting done by the parties.  It is crucial that any President-elect meet the eligibility criteria as determined by the U.S. Constitution and provide the necessary assurances of eligibility.

Currently, there is no office or agency that certifies a President-elect’s eligibility for the office.  However, I believe that there should be a more formal process of review and validation as a matter of routine certification of candidates.  The Office of the Presidency is undermined if Americans don’t have confidence that the candidates for the highest office in the land are qualified for the position as required by the Constitution. [Read more…]