MRJEFF update:

Senator Orrin Hatch has introduced a constitutional amendment which would allow foreign-born American citizens to hold the office of President, calling the current restriction against foreign-born candidates "an anachronism that is decidedly un-American."

In a statement Hatch gave to introduce his legislation, which is titled the Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment, he said many foreign-born citizens of all parties are loyal Americans who should have a legal opportunity to be considered for president.

"These include former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright; current Cabinet members Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez; as well as Jennifer Granholm, the governor of Michigan and bright young star of the Democratic Party," he said.

Also, he noted that thousands of foreign-born members of the military now never could be elected to lead the country for which they fought. "No matter how great their sacrifice, leadership or love for this country, they remain ineligible to be a candidate for president. This amendment would remove this unfounded inequity," he said.

(Hatch has always been, for me, one of the more uncategorizable politicians. He's a Republican and devout Mormon, but a friend of Teddy Kennedy. He'll support commonsense stuff like the above, and then turn around and try to blow up your computer.)