Birth of a Nation

by Saul Bloodworth

Let's assume, just for the sake of the argument, that Obama was born in Kenya, and is not an American citizen, despite his mother being a citizen. How, do the birthers think, did he become a citizen, obtain a social security number and a driver's license?

Because a) you can't take a foreign baby to the United States, just like that. If you are a citizen you can apply for citizenship for your children, parents, and siblings; that's how Mexican-Americans get their family here. This is quite some effort, you need to apply for a Green Card, that takes at least one year, the actual act of getting citizenship takes five years and involves a lot of red tape, no matter what Lou Dobbs says. You can stay here illegal, but you won't raise above the status of an apple picker.

Of course Obama's mother could have smuggled him into the U.S., hidden in a suitcase at JFK (not very likely, also, why would she not have given birth in the U.S. in the first place?). But still, he would not become a citizen just by spending time here, much less obtain a legal SSN, which requires documentation of status. So, how and when did all that happen? Birthers, you prove it: Where is Obama's Green Card?


citizenship