Monday, August 3, 2009

Why the Obama Birth Certificate Story Won't Go Away

Steve Benen has a new post up attacking those who want the truth about Barack Obama's birth, "They'll Never Stop" (via Memeorandum):
Last week, Hawaii's health director apparently checked the president's birth certificate again, and discovered that Obama was, in fact, born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, and "is a natural-born American citizen." A nutty right-wing website, however, produced an obviously-fake document purporting to show that Obama was born in the "Republic of Kenya" in February 1964.
The problem, actually, is that the "birth certicate" has never been formally released. The public's only seen the "certificate live birth," and there's a real difference.

I posted on this last night, "
Obama's Kenyan Birth, or Indonesian Citizenship? Shoot, I Can't Keep Up With This Stuff!"

I got a couple of responses, from RaDena at
Blasting Caps and Dynamite and Stogie at Saber Point. Also, just now Dave at Dave's Notepad made a comment.

My position is pretty much captured by Doug at Political Pistachio, "
Responding to Critics of Obama's Kenyan Birth Certificate" (with minor edits):
I don't know if Obama was born in Hawaii, Kenya, or on the moon. I wasn't there. I will not take a position that states I know for sure Obama is ineligible for President of the United States. That said, the reason I entertain the possibility that he is not a Natural Born Citizen of the United States is not primarily driven by the spurts of evidence, but by Obama's response to the challenge. His response to the accusations has been to seal all of his records, spend $900,000 on defending himself, and to refuse supplying documentation to verify eligibility and be done with it.

A man with nothing to hide does not take these kinds of actions.

This issue is not just about birth certificates and the U.S. Constitution, but about the honesty, integrity, and character of Barack Obama. I believe he fails on all counts ...

Go to Political Pistachio, here. Doug also runs a popular Blog Talk program as well, here.

Also, from a few days ago, see Hot Air, "Poll: 28% of Republicans don’t believe Obama was born in America? Update: Skeptics mostly southern."

6 comments:

science fiction writer said...

This is the most secretive administration, ever. Even Helen Thomas notices that.

Where's the transparency?

Anonymous said...

I say: Let's ask EF Lavender!

Oh wait...that's soap...

JBW said...

"I don't know if Trig Palin was borne by Sarah, Bristol, or by a European surrogate. I wasn't there. I will not take a position that states I know for sure Trig isn't Sarah Palin's son. That said, the reason I entertain the possibility that he is not her's is not primarily driven by the spurts of evidence, but by Palin's response to the challenge. Her response to the accusations has been to seal all of her medical records, spend $___,___ on defending herself, and to refuse supplying documentation to verify parenthood and be done with it.

A woman with nothing to hide does not take these kinds of actions.

This issue is not just about Trig and who his real mother is, but about the honesty, integrity, and character of Sarah Palin. I believe she fails on all counts ..."

So some conspiracy theories are worth giving credence to and some are not, eh Don? I of course don't believe either one of them but then again, I enjoy thinking for myself. You're putting yourself in some real smart company when you pander to the Birthers, guy. Good luck with that.

deals said...

Please for god say don't make an issue today.
because today is Obama's birthday.
many many happy return of the day..

Dave said...

As I see it, the reaction of the left to all of this is beginning to resemble their reaction to Sarah Palin, which was, and is, purely motivated by fear.

Me thinks many of our "friends" across the aisle are harboring some serious fears that there may very well be something amiss concerning the eligibility of our mysterious 44th POTUS.

When members of the SCM begin equating Rush Limbaugh, Michele Malkin, and the GOP with "birthers," then you know they are worried, as none of the above have said anything much about it.

In fact, Michelle Malkin wrote a post slamming those of us who have publicly questioned the eligibility of the former Chicago street agitator:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2009/08/03/chris-matthews-show-panel-links-limbaugh-malkin-gop-birthers

Interesting.

-Dave

JBW said...

Dave, we're laughing at Palin, we're laughing at the Birthers and we're laughing at anyone else who takes either of them seriously.

Before we could be afraid of Palin we'd have to first be afraid that she could string enough disparate thoughts together to make up a cogent paragraph, even with a TelePrompter to aid her (see: speech, resignation).

Before we could be afraid that Obama was really born in Kenya we'd have to first be afraid that the time-travel technology that would be required to plant his multiple birth announcements in Hawaiian newspapers half a century ago now existed, leaving the universe extremely vulnerable since one temporal misstep in the past could cause a catastrophic rip in the fabric of the space-time continuum and thereby destroy our very existence.

Trust me, once we're finally afraid of those things we'll get around to being afraid of Ms. Palin and your little Birther movement. Until then, we're all just laughing. But you guys go right on insisting that we're afraid if it makes you feel better. I can understand the intellectual security it must afford you.