A lot of naysayers have made light of the strict Constitutionist views of presidential candidates Alan Keyes, Ron Paul, and former candidate Tom Tancredo. Now, those men just might be in a position to have the final say over "mainstream" candidates such as Senator John McCain. Why? It turns out that Republican candidate McCain might need to drop out of the presidential race, despite his recent win in the Florida primary, because he is not eligible to fill the office of president.

John McCain is not a natural born citizen of the United States; he was born in the Panama Canal Zone.

There are only three requirements in the Constitution for the office of president. Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 5 requires that a candidate for president must be: a) a natural born citizen of the United States (emphasis added), b) at least 35 years of age, and c) having been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. By its language, the Constitution -- especially the Fourteenth Amendment -- makes a distinction between a "citizen" and a "natural born citizen." A more lenient requirement to be only a "citizen", under Article I, Section 3, Paragraph 3, allows McCain to be a senator.

Senator McCain was a third-generation naval officer. His quick reaction to an intense fire on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal was a product not only of his fighter-pilot training, but also of being the son and the grandson of US Navy admirals. The question of Senator McCain's eligibility for the office of president does not in any way call into question the positive details of his military service record.

That said, however, it should be noted that many Prisoner of War advocates actually criticize ex-POW McCain for blocking efforts to document and release Prisoners of War. On that point alone, many in the military and veteran communities would refuse to support McCain under any circumstances. Sadly, there are also POWs from our recent and current Middle East wars. (Disclosure: this writer, who would definitely not vote for McCain, is a member of Rolling Thunder, which is active in the cause to support and free our POWs.)

A discussion of the McCain candidacy is incomplete without mentioning the Prisoner of War issue, because his ex-POW status is an integral part of both McCain the man and McCain the candidate. However, the key point in this column is not where McCain has been, nor where he wants to go, but whether he is authorized to go there.

Authority is at the heart of the question. The Constitution is the supreme legal authority of the land. Yet, when politically convenient, the Big Two political parties have ignored the Constitution. (Disclosure: this writer is a state official with the Constitution Party.) We are currently in a war (actually, two -- not counting the ongoing "security operations" in several other countries) with no Constitutionally-required declaration of war. The Constitution also requires the president to use the military (not police!) to secure our borders. Yet, for years, Senator McCain has been a well-known proponent of amnesty for illegal aliens. That fact, alone, should disqualify him from running for president, because his actions reveal his clear intent not to "support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

And, the clear and simple language of the previously-cited paragraph of our Constitution makes it clear that Senator John McCain is not eligible to become the president of the United States. Although he is a citizen of the United States, he is not a natural born citizen. That requirement can only be changed by a Constitutional amendment. And, if he is to be true to his oath to "support, protect, and defend" the Constitution as it now stands, then Senator McCain should withdraw from the presidential race immediately. Opinions on this topic are welcome on my talk show, which airs live on Sunday mornings at 0800 (that's 8am, for civilians) Central Time.