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.
All I'm seeing is a "Certificate of Life Birth" this is still not the same thing as a Birth Certificate. All this means is someone brought a live baby into a hospital.
1 – I guess it is inconceivable to you sheople that such a document could be forged. If this is truly IT, this idiot waited this long to release it? I'm sorry, the behavior is inexplicable. Real proof will be in an analysis of the original with the State of HI. Sorry, but the long delay prompts reasonable due diligence to confirm it is legit.
2 – While the (non-Democrat) experts analyze whether this is a legitimate doc or a forgery, we can start asking questions about all his other records – passport, college records, loan records, law school review articles.
3 – Why release now? It's taken this long to create a forgery they thought would work. Sorry sheople, the delays in getting this out have fueled the new issue.
you know what this means,
OBAMA will be run again next term!
I haven't seen it yet, but it's obviously a clever forgery created by the CIA and FBI. Oh yeah, he's still black so it doesn't matter.
Thank You Donald Trump for FINALLY getting this President to release his birth certificate (something I had to show to get a passport)!...
Now, keep pressing him on his college transcripts – something else we should be able to see – and something my firm requires prior to hiring anyone!.... The President works for us! Not the other way around...
I could care less where ANY president was born! I want to know what we can do to lower gas prices, lower unemployment rates and get on the right track! This is not a problem Obama created alone.....your beloved BUSH had 8 years of his grubby hands in the making of these monsters! I don't care if you're democrat, republican, black, white, male or female..US born or NOT.....no politician has ever had the true average Americans best interest at heart!!!!
As a libertarian (fiscal conservative and social liberal) I never cared about this issue. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Obama and work to defeat him in 2012 that don't involve clinging to dubious conspiracy theories. How about the fact that he's yet to do a single thing to create jobs? Or that he has no concept of the idea of sound fiscal policy? Either one of those, on their own, are enough to convince me that he doesn't deserve a second term.
Uh, could we please not muddy the water with the facts. That wouldn't be very Republican.
Good, that's all we wanted to see. Why in the world did he delay doing this?
Now was that so hard???? Now let's get a look at those undergrad and law school grades.
Good – now maybe Donald Trump will shut his pie hole. That's probably giving him too much credit. He – just like the rest of the Tea Partiers – will just find something else to nit-pick. Now that they have the document, they'll want to know why it took him so long to produce it or just question the validity of it.
This is not the complete form. It does not show what "race" the mother put him as when he was born.
The crazy thing is that if President Obama wasn't born in the United States then he never would have made it past his initial announcement (February 10, 2007) that he would be running for President. It's disgusting and completely insane that there was a "Birther" movement in the first place.
Trump should just shut his mouth and get on with life. The President was born in the US, if not he could not have run for the office. There are more important things to worry about than, what a loser like Donald Trump. He should just shot his pie hole and get on with his life and leave the President alone.
Far Left will believe ANYTHING! Far Right WONT believe anything. I don't think where he was born matters much cause his mom was an American Citizen. Unless someone can prove to me Obama Mama renounced her US Citizenship Baby Barack was born an American Citizen. The Birthcirtificate is either a fake or genuine article, but it doesnt matter cause only moderates like me listen to reason.
What is the authenticity of this Document? It is a fake document. You can get this type of certificate for illegal immegrants for l100 bucks from scams run by illegals.
I wonder how long it will take before someone starts saying that Hawaii was not a state in 1961, and as a result, Obama was not born in the US. I'll get my egg timer ready.
Funny, its still called a certificate of live birth. The birthers will love that....Donald is an idiot.
"The U.S. Constitution says only "natural born" citizens can become president – a vague clause "
What exactly is vague about that?
He must have been running scared of the reelection or the states that are proposing laws to have this released. It makes you wonder why he spent all that money hiding it.
I want to see the certificate of live birth for Chester on your head. What college did you go to and pay back all of the money you got from the government to bail you out of your bankruptcy.
So now this is all said and done.... will we cover more important news. If a little common sense was inserted at some point it would of never reached this far.
yeah this proves..i mean our goverment has never forged a document right? i mean he spent tons of money and many years hiding it and just hours after he appoints Leon Panetta the head of the CIA they release his BC.you supporters may drink the kool aid but i wont.
Wow Sara – talk about ignorant. The simple base CONSTITUTIONAL requirements for anyone to be President of the United states 1) Thirty-five years of age. 2) A resident of the US for 14 years. 3) A natural-born citizen of this country. Do we ignore the CONSTITUTION just because you don't think it is important. The "natural-born citizen" clause was established as a requirement to ensure that no one with dual allegiance becomes Commander and Chief of our armed forces........Mr. Obama obviously has a dual-allegiance.....his father was a Kenyan and a British Subject under the British Nationality Act of 1942.
Everyone keeps giving attention to Donald Trump, and all of his inflammatory, degrogatory remarks. Lets just ignore him, and maybe he will go away! I must admit that I am somewhat disappointed that the Obama administration gave credit to the claims made against his birthplace and heritage by responding to this ignorant drivel!
"There's no underestimating the intelligence of the American public." Henry Louis Mencken