There's apparently a movement afoot in California to amend the US Constitution to allow non-native born citizens to run for the office of President. The purpose of such being to allow Governor Arnold to take a shot at the big chair in the office with no corners. I oppose this idea, for reasons that have nothing to do with the Schwareneggerian aspects of it.

The provision in the Constitution requiring Presidents to be home-grown is there for a very simple reason: so foreign nations cannot put one of their own in charge of our country. Historically, due to royal intermarrying and crossbreeding, strange things have happened such as the English crown landing on a German head. This is something the founders wanted to avoid, because it never worked out well for a kingdom so afflicted. The ruler almost invariably acts for the benefit of his home country to the detriment of the one he is supposedly in charge of.

No, I don't think Arnold would run the US for the glory of Greater Austria. But someone else might. If the foreign-born could be President, someone farsighted enough could put a 20-year plan in motion, come to America, win the big chair, and start screwing over the US in favor of whatever jerkwater nation he'd come from in the first place.

Yes, it would be unlikely. Yes, I think there are enough other people and enough checks and balances in the government to mitigate any damage such a villain could do.

But, if not for Article 2, Section 1, it could happen. It isn't theoretically impossible without this provision, and it must be.

We can't depend on good intentions and people's better judgment. Not if we don't have to. We have a rule that will absolutely prevent such a thing from ever happening. We don't want to replace it with happy thoughts and crossed fingers.