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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No ALL you ignorant HATERS cab shut the HELL up!!!
What are you going to complian and whine about now! The color of the paper? The font print?
What the hell are you petty and juvenile
people AFRAID of??
From now on EVERY WHITE PRESIDENT better provide proof if their birth certificate that's for dam sure!!!!!
I'm so sick of hearing about this GARR-BAGE!!!!
No Linda B!!!
There is nothing the President can do to change your mind. Please don't lump the American People into your personal opinions. I'm sorry lady but we didn't elect you to represent us. We elected President Obama.
Wow amazing how a birth certificate can cause so much un-productive bull crap. Do we really believe that he would of became president if he was not born in the United States.. .really? What drama us american's can cause. So sad.
That looks awfully pristine and new for a certificate created in 1961. If it was that easy to do why not just release it on the first place? Something just doesn't add up. I don't trust ANY politician.
A great Republican Abraham Lincoln once said – Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Most of you people just do a great job of the latter part of that statement
Okay, Donald–show those tax returns! And your REAL birth certificate, while you're at it–not the little document the hospital gives you for your baby book. Ha ha.
@LindaB I wish you tea baggers would stop trying to speak as if you represent the entire nation. The "American people," as you put it, will not be "firing" the President. They will vote and it will be decided in a close match. So far, it looks like he will be re-elected because the Republican party does not have any strong candidates. Sorry, I just had to give you a dose of reality, you delusional hack.
Can you please mail a certified copy to Donald Trump who has nothing else better to do? Maybe he can frame it and knowing his cocky attitude he still won't believe it.
Yeah, right. The lizard people are behind this.
Ahhh, finally. Transparency at last. Let's move on to further opaqueness: How's them grades @ Oxy,hmmm? Commie jerk.
Next thing you know he'll be releasing his school records and explaining who paid for his education at Harvard.
would it make the trabaggers feel better if he were born on the planet Krypton???
Umm. He was born Barry Soetoro....
Why the hell wasn't this done two years ago when Hillary first brought it up?
LOL Trump has just been trumped!
I am so utterly disgusted that it got to the point where the White House felt it was necessary to do this. When the loudest voices in this country are a pack of paranoid rumormongering bigots, we're all in trouble.
Be ashamed, America.
I wonder what them hicks will say now
LOL, now the experts will take over and etar this forgery to shreds by showing it to be as "real" and "accurate" as were the documents the totally disgraced Dan rather produced in his FAILED attempt to interfere with a national election.
Not all conservatives think Obama was born outside the US. For me, his mother was a US citizen therefore he is a US citizen. This is all a distraction to take our eyes off of the important issues. Both parties are screwing us and they're scared. There is a lot of things wrong in this country and it's not the citizens that are the problem. It's the 545 people running our government, both Democrat and Republican, that are robbing us blind and ruining this once great country. It's amazing what you can get away with when you turn the people against each other.
Why did it take so long to produce this?
Now Glen Beck has another book to write about how the government secretly forged his birth certificate. Will the coverups never cease?!?!?!?!
This is NOT the birth certificate that was requested. This is just the Certificate of Live Birth that everyone knew existed. This is nothing. The Dems made John McCain produce his real long-form birth certificate. Why shouldn't Obama do the same?
Well, it's about time. What took so long??? Whether I support Obama or not – I still want my president to show accountability and respect for the people who put him into the White House. He is a PUBLIC servant.
Now those PEEPHOLDERS (Iscariots) would say "my minds made up don't confuse me with the facts"
To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem. America
"Birthers", "Tea Partiers", why don't we address these morons by their true identity; "Republicans".
You 'Anti-birthers' are truly clueless.
I DARE YOU: READ THE CONSTITUTION