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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About time. It was his constitutional responsibility to clear the matter up. Why did he not do so a long time ago?
Hey...stop printing off dollars for a minute and print me off a birth certificate will ya.
"Great-now maybe with that out of the way we can work on the important matters-like defeating President Obama in 2012 and saving this country from any further slide"
Why would you want to defeat him? Let's hear more, moron!
Ok, so where is it? The picture still shows the certificate of live birth.
The President should of dealt with this long ago iunstead of allowing it to become fodder. There are many things this country should be focused on and it sue is not this.
I'm a Democrat, and my party going after Bush's service record during the '04 election was just as ignorant. For Pete's sake, let's get on with more important matters!
Wowwwww what a slap for the birthers, Republicans and the right wings!!!!!!!!!! What a shame for this country what have we became?????Just because the president is a black man!!! Shame on us.....
I care if he was born here and others in the US do as well. Your ignorance is disgusting!!! The man is destroying our Country.
To the TRUE belivers of this stuff it wont matter the TRUE belivers will just say its fake
He should have kept it behind closed doors until after the GOP presidential candidates had come forward and self-identified as birther loons. Now we don't have an endless stream of prominent Republicans making themselves look like idiots. On this issue at least...they're still doing pretty well on all the other ones.
How could people honestly think that one would've gotten as far as becoming President of the United States without being a "natural born" US citizen? Idiots.
Hopefully this will shut the birthers once and for all, but convincing idiots sometimes is bound to fail. I'm sure they'll move on to their conspiracy theory.
So after all this time Hillary Clinton was wrong, WOW! Where is a copy of the birth certificate? I see where they claim he has released it so the next question is has anyone been able to verify it? Still having trouble believing that Obummer spent all this time and money for no reason at all.
We all should care where he was born, because that's in the Constitution for a reason.
Now I want to see the rest of his records that have been hidden.
It doesn't matter if they release, the ignorant will always come up with other insane ways to attacking rather than discussing important issues. Can't wait to see what the 'right" makes up now that this one is put to rest. Sigh....
So, where is it? Let's see it! Post it for the world to see.
I guess if you don't care about laws, you wouldn't care if laws were followed for anyone to become president... But seeing a long form really proves nothing since Hawaii (and other states) allow issuance of amended b/c if the parent has lived in Hawaii for at least a year. My b/c from Louisiana is really a lie because it's an amended one due to my being adopted. (yes, that matters to ME because I believe all adults are entitled to see their ORIGINAL, unamended birth certificates. Mine actually shows my adoptive father as signing it 2 days after my birth and I was adopted at 3 months of age. But I agree with Joe – He's got to GO!
Maybe these idiots can stop wasting our President's time now. And this guy Trump wants to be president???
As a liberal, I really wish he didn't do that let the republicans argue about his BC... It makes great TV.
Sarah, Who cares about the Constitution, who cares about any laws in this country. People like you are the major cause of problems in this country. You either do not realize that laws are the basis for our society or you are a kool-aid drinker for king obama.
The release of the birth certificate will not sway most Republicans. They live in the Fox News World of conspiracy theories, paranoia, and angst. Science and logic are of no importance to them: they prefer to stew in their own pitard.
Great. Now we can work on the fascists er mean Republicans and defeat them in every election.
This should end the storm of POTUS Birth..
-+- -+-
ok let move on please..
Sarah – people care because to be president YOU MUST be born in the USA.