An Amendment for Schwarzenegger?

      Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5: 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.

      Last year, Republican senator Orrin Hatch from Utah introduced a bill that would allow anyone who has lived in the United States for twenty years to become president, regardless of whether or not they were born in the United States.

      Although Hatch has said that he did not introduce the bill with Schwarzenegger in mind, I find that a little difficult to believe. I think it’s pretty obvious that the Republican party is trying to pave the way for Schwarzenegger to run for president, maybe even as early as 2008. I mean, the bill says that you have to be in the country 20 years, and Schwarzenegger just happens to have been here for 21.

      Now believe me, I would love to see Schwarzenegger at the head of our country, and it’s a shame he wasn’t born here. However, I think that it is wrong to amend the Constitution of the United States simply for the gains of a political party. I don’t think that letting Schwarzenegger run would cause any harm, but rules are rules. I think that the Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they came up with the constitution, after all, it seems to be working so far (at least in comparison with other countries).

      An amendment to the Constitution needs to be something that is very serious and very important to the welfare of the entire nation, and this amendment is not that. I’m a Republican, but I just don’t think making an “exception” for the Governator is the right thing to do.

      Of course, all of this probably won’t even be an issue. I don’t think the amendment will ever pass. It needs a 2/3 majority, and although the Republicans are in control, they don’t have that much control. Besides, there are probably some Republican senators that wouldn’t vote for it. Sorry Schwarzenegger, looks like you’re going to have to be content with making a “Terminator 4”.

Psst…off the record, I think it will be Hillary and Giuliani in 2008…