Surprisingly few things prevent someone from serving as president of the United States.

The nation’s commander-in-chief cannot be less than 35 years old, must have lived inside the country for a minimum of 14 years, and must be a “natural born citizen.” However, two recent White House aspirants, senators John McCain and Ted Cruz, were born in Panama and Canada, respectively, but each was eligible for the presidency because one or both of his parents held American citizenship.

No person with two previous terms as president may serve in that capacity again. This eliminates exactly three people from taking office next Jan. 20: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who ironically are the three Americans most experienced at the job.

That’s it. There are no other limitations. A drug dealer, a money launderer, a common thief or a Dallas Cowboys fan can legally serve as leader of the free world, assuming he or she can get elected. But of course, Americans would never elevate that sort of person to the White House. We are far too smart and sophisticated for that.

There is, however, a big difference between why someone can’t serve as president and why someone shouldn’t serve as president.

Someone publicly ridiculing a longtime public servant who was held in a North Vietnamese prison camp for more than five years shouldn’t be president.

Someone openly stating that his trial should not be presided over by a respected federal judge because said judge’s ethnicity would keep him from being fair shouldn’t be president.

Someone promising to build an impregnable wall along the entire border between America and a neighbor and make the other nation pay for it shouldn’t be president.

Someone characterizing residents of that neighboring nation as rapists, drug dealers and criminals shouldn’t be president. Someone suggesting women who opt for abortion should be punished for doing so shouldn’t be president.

Someone falsely claiming thousands of Muslims cheered and celebrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks shouldn’t be president.

Someone who lies about sending his private jet to rescue stranded American military members shouldn’t be president.

Someone claiming he opposed the Iraq War when taped evidence exists disproving those statements shouldn’t be president.

Someone who claims to be fabulously wealthy, boasts of paying as few taxes as possible, but adamantly refuses to release any of his tax records shouldn’t be president.

Someone weighing over 260 pounds, a 70-year-old who loves junk food, that suggests his opponent’s alleged poor health disqualifies her from holding high office shouldn’t be president.

Someone advocating keeping all adherents of a certain religion out of the United States based solely on the faith they practice shouldn’t be president.

Someone who runs a fraudulent “university” and then makes a campaign contribution to a state attorney general (who subsequently decides not to investigate him after all) shouldn’t be president.

Someone implying 2nd amendment advocates might be able to “do something” about his opponent if she is elected and tries to appoint Supreme Court justices who favor stricter gun control laws shouldn’t be president.

Someone suggesting a political opponent’s father was involved in the JFK assassination, and then for good measure publicly ridicules that same opponent’s wife’s looks shouldn’t be president.

Someone who savages the Gold Star family of a soldier who died fighting for his country in Iraq shouldn’t be president.

Someone who knowingly lies about the sitting president’s birthplace, then acknowledges the truth while simultaneously (and falsely) accusing a political rival of starting the rumor shouldn’t be president.

Someone who ridicules persons with disabilities and then lies about it shouldn’t be president.

Someone who belittles women and then lies about it shouldn’t be president.

Someone proposing Russia or China hack his political rival’s e-mails shouldn’t be president.

Someone advocating killing the families of terrorists or suspected terrorists shouldn’t be president.

Someone suggesting an athlete who protests police shootings should leave the country shouldn’t be president.

Someone claiming his friend Vladimir Putin “will never go into Ukraine” when the Russians invaded that country two years earlier shouldn’t be president.

Someone with millions of dollars in outstanding loans to the Bank of China shouldn’t be president.

Someone who muses about wishing he could date his hot-looking daughter shouldn’t be president.

Someone proposing to deport all undocumented immigrants who in the past employed undocumented immigrants himself shouldn’t be president.

But of course, all this is hypothetical. Even if by some weird chance a major political party nominated a presidential candidate combining all the unattractive qualities of a bully, a bigot, a hypocrite and a serial liar, Americans would reject him overwhelmingly. As a group, we are far too smart and sophisticated to vote for a shameless, arrogant charlatan.

Aren’t we?

– Andy Young is eligible, but even though he owes nothing to the Bank of China he shouldn’t be president either.