White House releases Obama's birth certificate
(CNN) - President Obama released his original birth certificate Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding the issue had become a "sideshow."
“We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do," said Obama.
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
“Over the last two and half years, I have watched with amusement. I have been puzzled with the degree with which this thing just kept going,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.
Responding to the development, Trump said, "I have accomplished something nobody else has accomplished."
"I want to look at it, but I hope it’s true," he told reporters in New Hampshire. "He should have done it a long time ago. I am really honored to have played such a big role in hopefully getting rid of this issue."
Earlier Wednesday, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said the debate has been "really bad for the Republican Party."
The so-called "birther" debate is "good politics" but "bad for the country," said Pfeiffer.
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper Monday, Trump repeated his doubts and said he had been told the certificate was "missing."
A new CNN investigation revealed earlier this week what most analysts have been saying since the "birther" controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign: Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961.
While the president has made light of the controversy, the question remained political red meat for some of his critics. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. 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.
See Obama's Certification of Live Birth
The U.S. Constitution says only "natural born" citizens can become president - a vague clause that some members of the birther movement contend disqualifies Obama because, they insist, he was born outside the United States.
Skeptics contend, among other things, that Obama was born in his father's home country of Kenya.
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I wonder what them hicks will say now
While I do not believe the President needed to respond to these nutjobs running around like idiots claiming he was not born in America, hopefully these idiots would now shut up and find something else to do with their time. Birthers go to h*ll!
Seeing is believing, unless you are a Republican/Conservative/Tea Party Member.
Its about time. Now all the crazies can go away
What a joke this even needed to happen... The collective IQ of this country is very much in question, shame of these people.
this won't shut them up. "it's all part of the conspiracy". Facts are meaningless in the worlds of the truly delusional.
Two words Tea Baggers: Suck It.
Good. Finally this can be put to rest.
Darn, does this mean the Donald is going to have to talk about real issues now?
Well where is it?
Suck it, birthers.
Good, but I am 1000 percent sure that many GOPers will continue to be denial on Obama's original birth certificate. Nothing will stop them from questioning him more about this.
Good. I am glad he finally released this so we can move on to more important things. Can't wait to see how the racists in America try to play this one.
This won't shut up the conspiracy nuts, I'm sure they'll think its fake.
Ok, Trump. Where are those tax returns you promised?????
Finally. Now we can put this stupidness behind us and focus on real issues. Obama, you should have done this a LONG time ago. I don't understand why you thought it was good to keep this myth going.
That's it? Where is the document. Let's see it.
Hope all you idiots are happy now.
Now I suppose some brain dead psycho is going to start a conspiracy theory that it is all fake and has been a plot by some foriegn government to have a black "sleeper" inserted into our WASP government.....
these are the same folks that sympathise with the South over the Civil War....
That's too bad for Obama. Now all the attention can turn to his accomplishments. Or whatever you call a third war, 9% unemployment, Gitmo-still-open body of work.
Well? Where is it?
Ok, if he released it, where the heck is it? Why is it not shown here?
This really makes a lot of Tea Partiers look like morons...I will expect an apology letter from them and a thank you note for being the best President in generations.
Don't do it...why play down them? they will only say it is a fake, or something is missing. Please stick to your guns, they need to prove you wrong, you just need to keep the bickering going on in the GOP.
Where is the rest of the story?