It is possible for two people at odds with each other on an issue to both be right.  In the recent Tea Party convention, a widely reported encounter took place between editor of Worldnetdaily.com, Joseph Farah, and Andrew Breitbart over whether or not time Obama's citizenship is worthy of discussion.  Farah, "Yes."  Breitbart, "Not enough evidence to make it a winning strategy."  I think both of these men are right and below I'd like to chart a way forward for the Tea Party, composed as it is of so many people who care about the Constitution and want to win elections.

What follows is a bit lengthy, but I hope you'll hear me out.

The Tea Party, as I read it, was not created simply as a reaction to the brazen actions of the Obama administration.  It was also born of contempt, distrust, and outrage against the Republicans who, in the minds of many 'Tea Party' type people, have continually and constantly failed to represent conservative principles... if Tea Party participants felt that the GOP was doing their job, there would be no Tea Party. 

All this to say that member of the Tea Party have principles; they know what they are and why they have them and they are really, really angry that the people they elect fail them over and over again.

Asking people of principle to look the other way in the face of what possibly could be the highest act of arrogance in modern history just isn't possible.  If Obama is not constitutionally qualified to be president then that's that.  Furthermore, the burden of proof is on Obama to show that he is constitutionally qualified.  It isn't Farah's job to prove he isn't.   We're talking about the leader of the (so far) free world, not a dog catcher.  It is too important to ignore.

On the other hand, it is a simple fact that the people on the other side of this issue have every advantage.  Let's face it.  The opinions of many Americans are formed by no more than a glance at the day's headlines, the quick blurb at the 6 o'clock news, and the clever jabs on Stewart's Daily Show.  Combine this with the average American's deep fear that someone might think that he is 'one of those extremists' and the Left has all they need to defeat a 'Birther' candidate.  It really isn't a winning issue... yet.

There are, however, many things that Tea Party participants feel strongly about that are winning issues.  There is American blood boiling, both inside and outside the Tea Party, about the fascist takeover of public companies, sneaky bank bailouts, looming tax hikes, and massive government spending with more on the way.

The Republican party stands to gain from all of this- if it actually acts on the principles it says it stands for.  If it does that, though, the Democrats are going to test just how principled the GOP really is, making Republican candidates in the 2010 election state their thoughts on Obama's citizenship.  Given what I have already said, I think this could be an effective strategy.

I'm not saying I like it.  I'm just being realistic here.

So how to stick to principle and win?  I have an idea.

First of all, resign ourselves to waiting until 2012 for the truth to really come out.  I understand that it may be too late on any number of levels.  That's just the way it will have to be.

Second of all, focus all available energy and resources into getting just one state of the Union to do one very small, and simple thing:  force all candidates who want to be on the ballot for President of the United States to fully demonstrate that they are constitutionally eligible for that position. 

Now, don't just choose any state.  Pick a state that is chock full of men and women with conservative principles who will see the matter to the end.  Arizona seems viable, since as I understand it, they've actually already introduced legislation that will do just this.  But I could be wrong;  we are talking about the state that elected Janet Napolitano as governor.  So, some thought will have to be put into it.

Anyway, the state will have to be selected quickly because the idea here is that all the pressure in the world be exerted so that this legislation is passed before the 2010 election... with the threat by the citizens to throw every legislator who votes against the legislation out on their bums in November.  It isn't enough to have them say they'll do it in 2011 because the leverage on them is a lot less.  Granted, if the legislation is not passed before the 2012 election, you can vote them out in 2014, but that sort of defeats the purpose, no?

So, you pick one state, and you ram this legislation through and you bring all the power and might of principled people everywhere upon this state so that this very simple thing- the verification that the presidential candidate is constitutionally eligible- is accomplished.

What are the benefits of my proposal?

All we need is one state to demand the necessary documentation and vetting.  What is Obama going to do?  Refuse to be on the ballot in that state rather than pony up?

There are quite a few people already puzzled by why Obama hasn't simply released all of his information and be done with it.  This isn't 'proof,' I suppose, but I bet even all those moderates out there would be scratching their heads pretty vigorously pondering why Obama would do such a thing!

While this state level campaign is going on in earnest, the Tea Party can light a fire under the GOP at the national level on issues that really will win, and if the election in Massachusetts is any indication, will win really big, apart from questions of Obama's citizenship.

At the same time, Obama and his die hard supporters will have the citizenship issue thrown back in their face, because no matter what, there is no way that he can win on the substance of the issue in 2012.  There are only a handful of options. 

One, I've already mentioned- simply declining to be on the ballot.  The second is that the records come out and we find out what he's been hiding this whole time... something bound to be juicy or he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble.  The third option is that the records come out and he is... squeaky clean.

But no one will believe Obama if his records are 'conclusively' pristine.  People will naturally wonder why, if he had been innocent all along, he hadn't just produced the documentation from the start.  I dare say he might become a permanent staple of late night punch lines.  I could be wrong- he might have a very good explanation for why he had previously suppressed the document(s).

A fourth scenario might be that he challenges the state's legislation in a court of law but that would have the same effect as if he had declined to be on the ballot.  In short, employing my strategy will result in nothing but headaches for Obama instead of for the GOP, while at the same time allowing the Tea Party, Constitutionalists, and GOP to advance in other very important areas... and win.

Naturally, the Left will be in a tizzy.  But what are they going to say?  Are they really going to protest legislation that simply requires presidential candidates to demonstrate that they are constitutionally eligible?  Yes, that is probably what they will do... but it's good for average Americans to see what little regard the Left has for the Constitution. 

And that is worth knowing, and will go a long way to ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again, for it will generate a whole new generation of citizens who understand just how important principles are, and how vigilant we must be in defending them.

(For the record, I believe that Obama probably is a citizen- a dual citizen, most likely.  The Constitution requires a natural born citizen, and dual citizenship seems to be excluded.  Possibly, there is just something flat out embarrassing in the documents, but nothing that impacts his eligibility.  But this is all because I cannot bring myself to believe that any man is so arrogant and evil as to know he is not constitutionally eligible and yet runs for the office anyway.  But I've been wrong before.)

Anthony Horvath is the Executive Director of Athanatos Christian Ministries and the author of the Birth Pangs series.  He blogs at www.sntjohnny.com.