The Obama administration is releasing copies of President Barack Obama's original long-form birth certificate, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer announced Wednesday. Obama will discuss the decision to release the certificate Wednesday morning, the White House announced.Okay, I really don't get the point of this. After years of listening to this nonsense from the right, Obama gives in to Donald Trump (of all people!) and produces a document he really didn't need to. Leaving doubt out there would have further made Trump and his ilk look like a jackass. And folks who believe he wasn't born in Hawaii are still just gonna see this as a forgery. Let the next round of conspiracy theories begin.
"The president believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn't good for the country," Pfeiffer said. "It may have been good politics and good (television), but it was bad for the American people and distracting from the many challenges we face as a country."
"At a time of great consequence for this country -- when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, DC, was once again distracted by a fake issue," Pfeiffer added. "The president's hope is that with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country."
Pfeiffer told reporters that the so-called "birther debate" has been politically damaging to the Republican Party. Obama released a legally binding "certificate of live birth" in 2008, but many opponents of the president continue to assert he was born overseas.
While the president has tried to make light of the controversy, the question has remained political red meat for some of his critics. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll showed that nearly 75% of Americans believe Obama was definitely or probably born in the United States. More than four in 10 Republicans, however, believe he probably or definitely was not born in America.
The administration had to make a special request from the state of Hawaii to get the long-form birth certificate released, White House Legal Counsel Bob Bauer noted. Typically, the state only releases a certificate of live birth when people request a birth certificate.
Allegations that Obama was not born in the United States have been repeatedly discredited. A recent CNN investigation turned up no evidence to support the birther claims.
The worst part is that in a strange way, this makes Obama look even weaker. He effectively has let a reality show fringe candidate force him into "divulging" information that wasn't even necessary. So if Trump's able to get Obama to bend on this, what's next? Will he have to release his college transcripts and dissertations now? Boy scout medals? High school yearbooks? Where does this sh*t end?
By bowing down to pressure from a lunatic, Obama has both legitimized Trump as a candidate, and weakened himself as a leader. Watch Trump take his victory lap!
Sorry, but Obama is the only loser in this equation.
Question: What do you make of this decision to release the long form birth certificate, a document that isn't even legally recognized by the state of Hawaii anymore? Does doing this make Obama look weak, or does
