Who Can Really Say?

Unpolluted Neutral Principles

William Safire argues today that the Constitution should be amended to allow naturalized citizens (a/k/a Arnold Schwarzenegger) to hold the office of President.

It's a terrible idea, but not because in the abstract a naturalized citizen shouldn't be President. We can argue about that, etc. No, what's terrible about it is that amendments of this sort should never be considered when a specific person is in mind to benefit from the change, i.e. Gov. Arnold. It's the same reason why it was a bad idea for Colorado to consider changing how they'd apportion electoral votes in the very election in which the change was to be voted upon. It's why it would have been a bad idea (forget about whether it would have enjoyed a snowball's chance in hell of success) to propose limiting Presidents to two terms while FDR was still in office.

Changes in fundamental rules of these sorts should only be considered in the abstract -- upon neutral principles unpolluted by whether or not the proposed change will also be a means to an immediate end. Safire ought to know better.

[Linked to the Beltway Traffic Jam.] Posted by Peter at November 22, 2004 06:29 PM