Stupid premise, but interesting constitutional question

Great Debates
1

I was using stumbleupon while working t’other day, and I stumbled upon one of those stupid right wing conspiracy theory websites. This one was all excited about supposedly having proof Barack Obama not being a native born US citizen. Stupid stuff, really, but it got me thinking a little, and I came up with the following:

Suppose for a second that Obama was found to be ineligible for the presidency (note: I don’t for a moment believe this), who would the Democrats put in the White House? (assuming for this discussion that this happens before the EC votes) As I understand it, the electors would be free to vote for anyone they wanted (technically they already are, aren’t they?), who would they pick? Biden is the obvious choice, but I’m betting they would chose Clinton. Biden got zero traction in his aborted run, while Hillary was a strong second (and wouldn’t THAT make the right wing loonies pull their hair out?). Also, what would happen if proof was found after the EC voted, hell, even after Obama had taken office? It’s kinda fun to consider as an intellectual exercise, even if the basic premise is ludicrous.
Second, and here’s where my thoughts really went off the deep end, do you think it likely that such a scenario would lead to the Constitution being amended to eliminate the native born requirement for the presidency? I do, and here’s how I see it playing out. I believe there would be a huge outcry from Obama voters to amend the Constitution so that Barry could run again and actually serve as president, the amendment would likely be introduced, and I’m betting that a good number of Republicans would go along with it. Why? Because they would have visions of President Schwarzenegger dancing in their heads. It’s a once in a lifetime set of circumstances, but assuming that it did happen (and as I said, I don’t for a second believe the conspiracy theories), I could really see it playing out that way. Wouldn’t THAT be a kick in the head for 2012, the Obamanation vs the Governator, winner takes the White House. Man, that would be a fun, fun race to see.

2

I’d think that Biden would take over at that point. He would if Obama was killed or impeached; so disqualified after the fact would seem to demand the same thing.

3

If the same people who hawked the “Obama=Muslim” meme want to allow some foreign-born president, well, I think the cognitive dissonance in the far right would at that point have grown so large it will have become self-aware.

I am not against a foreign-born president at all, but I think this is a really hard sell to happen. America constantly teeters on the edges of isolationism (right), protectionism (left), and anti-globalization (left and right) all the time, all of which are a hard sell for foreign presidents. Which is not to say there wouldn’t be popular support, but IMO not nearly enough for the 2/3 and 3/4 required by the Constitution.

4

I’d join the fight for an amendment allowing non-native born Americans to serve as President, though I wouldn’t really put much effort into it. IMO, anyone who’s amassed sufficient support to become a nominee can be safely assumed to have America’s best interests at heart.