What about John McCain's day job?

Now that the long-serving senator from Arizona has the Republican presidential nomination all but sewn up, some folks in Arizona are speculating that John McCain might quit his day job this summer to concentrate full time on running for president.

The campaign says McCain has no current plans to do so, and frankly it doesn't make strategic sense for McCain to give up the seat, for a couple of reasons. First off, he may not win in the fall and might need the gig. But beyond the personal, there's the party to think of.

McCain's current term doesn't expire until next year, and under Arizona law if he resigns and Gov. Janet Napolitano appoints a replacement, it must be from the same party. That wouldn't affect the balance of power, which the Democrats hold by a thin margin with the help of independents Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman, who has endorsed McCain, of Connecticut.

But if McCain quits the seat this summer, Arizona would hold an election in November to fill his unexpired term, putting a safe seat in play at a time when even some Republicans are fearing a slaughter at the polls. If Napolitano, a Democrat, fills the seat, that would give a Republican a short stint as incumbent, but not enough to really make a difference.

So look for McCain to hang on to the day job until after the fall election. He and the party have more to lose by his quitting.

-- Scott Martelle

Comments

[Roger Charlotte NC]

McCain was born in Panama and as such it is not a "Natural Born Citizen"
therefore it sounds as he does not qualify to run for the office of the president.
Panama was leased and we have no Territorial Rights nor it was considered US territory.

If I may, this is not about McCain per se but rather a legitimate quest for the truth and clarification; As of now there has been no good and well conducted public debate on this matter that I am aware of. As many Radio and TV shows talks about immigration issues none that I recall had actually come up with a TV or Radio series where the subject is around immigration and Citizenship and where Buzz words are not part of the context for serious discussion as to how US Citizenship is acquired, what current laws says on that subject and the relationship and impact of immigrants coming to the USA from all part of the Globe and those American Citizens to whom Childen are born abroad.

I would like to bring this US State Department PDF document where in page 6 indicated the following:
"Despite widespread popular belief, U.S military installations abroad and U.S diplomatic or consular facilities are not part of the United States within the meaning of the 14th amendment. A child born on the premises of such facility is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of birth."
this is in page 6... Please read it...
This is the US State Department web site which contains the file which is attached for your reading. www.state.gov/documents/organization/86755.pdf

As you recall in the past there has been elections (Primary) where US Citizens were running for the office of the President and those Candidates were born in another country and their Parents were US Citizens. (similar to McCain)

Not long ago it was said that Arnold (the governor of California) was actually indicating he would like the Constitution to be amended so he and others Citizens like him can run for the office of the President.
I'm not a Constitutional scholars, but if you feel as passionate and fascinated with this subject as I am, in the process of researching you will discover the vast data that exists of factual information extracted from US Supreme Court cases as well as the Founding Father Papers during the process of writing our Constituion you will discover what the actual intend of "Natural Born Citizen" was and is and what is missing or not to have it clarified once and for all.
Here is a set of web pages to help you all that love reading and educating themself.

{ Why Did the Founding Fathers Want the President
To Be a "Natural Born Citizen}
http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/jyinger/Citizenship/history.htm

{ The Pernicious "Natural Born" Clause of the Constitution}
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20041008.html

another Digital book on this subject..
http://books.google.com/books?id=5XQtq6je-qAC&pg=PA119&lpg=PA119&dq=%22act+of+february+10+1855%22&source=web&ots=gJ9UJnXkyL&sig=yFlckdQPzCGgFmXOND4nhCJ3zm4

Page 15- Last Paragraph
Then Page 32 and 33 have some answers; but I encourage you to read it or have some of your research personal to do so.
The question then is why it was removed on the 1795 Act?; What took place on Congress that moved them to remove such a clear definition as stated on the 1790 Act?

[larry]

Roger, you are misreading the State Department document. McCain was born to parents who were themselves US citizens living abroad. Thus, he is a citizen by birth. What the State Department pdf is referring to is the case of the child of Panamanian citizens, for example, who happens to be born in a US military facility in Panama. In that case, the child is not a citizen. The facility is not part of the United States.

[Tom J]

Could Napolitano could appoint any Republican she wanted to, or would the Arizona Republican Party pick the person? Just curious.

[Danielle Davis]

What were John McCain's Parents' Jobs?