Citizen of What, Where?

Senator Hatch, please shift your attention away from the flag burners, who don't seem to be burning flags anyhow, and look at the foreign-baby-born-here situation. The identification of new citizens is more important than where they happen to be born.

Many expectant mothers from Mexico and countries in Asia connive and contrive to time their visits to coincide with delivering their babies on American soil. The newborns are automatic American citizens. Why?

If your American mother had given birth to you while she - and you - were visiting Mexico City, would that make you a Mexican? Back in the USA, would you be an illegal immigrant? And would Mexico consider you a Mexican?

If such were the case, I assume that you would become a dual citizen, which is another problem. Let's deal with that, too, because it's closely related. Dual citizens have a built-in conflict of interest and split loyalties. Whose side are they on in a struggle, a dispute or a war?

Several dual citizens have risen to the highest levels of our national government. The Director of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, is an American and has dual citizenship. So does Paul Wolfowitz, the neocon planner of the war in Iraq, who now heads the World Bank. There are at least 10 other prominent public servants who serve two masters. They might be loyal to both nations, but that might not always be possible.

Senator, will you work to correct both of these glitches in our system?