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Originally posted by Ned
Somehow, this shows just how stupid this portion of the constitution is. Jefferson clearly was one of our greatest leaders and greatest presidents.
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Not stupid at all. Regardless of where Jefferson was born, the provision wouldn't apply to him as he was born before 1787 and the Constitution itself prohibits ex post facto laws.
Given the desire of "old Europe"
to manipulate the US and coopt it's foreign policy, and the cross-national loyalties of various monarchs (like the Hannoverian King Georges), mistrust of foreign born "gentlemen" was only natural for the time.
And Kissinger was always viewed as a weasel by Democrats - just a reasonable smart and effective weasel.