Born in the U.S.A.: Obama Releases Birth Certificate

April 27, 2011


Born in the U.S.A.: Obama releases birth certificate

President seeks to lay controversy to rest

By Sheldon Alberts, Postmedia News - April 27, 2011 8:08 AM



U.S. President Barack Obama's birth certificate that was released by the White House in Washington April 27, 2011. The White House on Wednesday released a longer version of President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate to try to quiet a debate within Republican circles that he was not born in the United States.

Photograph by: White House/Handout, Reuters

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday released a copy of his long-form birth certificate in a bid to quash persistent questions by conservatives — most recently real-estate tycoon Donald Trump — about whether he was born in the United States.

The White House posted a copy of the long-form birth certificate from the state of Hawaii on its website. The document shows Barack Hussein Obama was born on Aug. 4, 1961, at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu.

"We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do," Obama told reporters during an unscheduled appearance in the White House press briefing room.

"We got big problems to solve, and I'm confident we can solve them, but we're gonna have to focus on them, not on this."

Obama had released a copy of an official Certification of Live Birth, the legal document typically released by the state of Hawaii, to the media during the 2008 presidential campaign. But despite repeated confirmations of its authenticity by Hawaiian officials, many conservatives have still suggested the document was a fake. Some polls have shown almost half of Republican voters doubt Obama was born in the U.S.

Obama expressed frustration that the birth-certificate issue had come to dominate cable news network coverage in recent weeks, even as the U.S. faces a budget crisis, rising gasoline prices and a looming deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

"This issue has been going on for two, 2 1/2 years now. I think it started during the campaign. And I have to say that over the last 2 1/2 years I have watched with bemusement, I have been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going," Obama said.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/united-states/35253-born-u-s-obama-releases-birth.html

"We've had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this confirm that, yes, in fact, I was born in Hawaii August 4th, 1961, in Kapiolani Hospital. We've posted the certification that is given by the State of Hawaii on the Internet for everybody to see. People have provided affidavits that they, in fact, have seen this birth certificate. And yet this thing just keeps on going."

The birth certificate controversy has been fuelled in recent weeks by Trump, who is pondering a presidential run in 2012. Trump has claimed he sent investigators to Hawaii to look into questions about Obama's place of birth.

On Wednesday, Trump responded by saying he considered Obama's release of the long-form birth certificate to be a victory.

"I am really honoured, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully, hopefully, getting rid of this issue," he said.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Obama ridiculed people who have continued to raise questions about his place of birth despite. America cannot tackle its many challenge "if we just make stuff up and pretend that facts are not facts," Obama said. "We're not gonna be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."

Obama also took a shot at U.S. news networks that have devoted airtime to the birth certificate questions raised by Trump and other "birthers."

"The dominant news story wasn't about these huge, monumental choices that we're gonna have to make as a nation, it was about my birth certificate."

Obama snapped at NBC News correspondent Chuck Todd, who he overheard questioning why the president wasn't in the press briefing room to discuss national security.

There have been reports Wednesday morning Obama is set to name Central Intelligence Agency director Leon Panetta to replaced Robert Gates as Defense Secretary, and appoint Gen. David Petraeus to take over at the CIA.

"I would not have the networks breaking in (with live coverage) if I was talking about that, Chuck, and you know it," Obama said.

The president said he was resigned to the likelihood that there's gonna be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this (birth certificate) issue will not be put to rest."
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35253

In a statement, White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Obama requested the long-form birth certificate as a way to end "the distraction" over his birth place.

"Therefore, the president directed his counsel to review the legal authority for seeking access to the long-form certificate and to request on that basis that the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long-form birth certificate," Pfeiffer said. "They granted that exception in part because of the tremendous volume of requests they had been getting."

The short-form Certification of Live Birth that Obama had earlier released in 2008 was "the same legal documentation provided to all Hawaiians as proof of birth in state," Pfeiffer said.

"When any citizen born in Hawaii requests their birth certificate, they receive exactly what the president received. In fact, the document posted on the campaign website is what Hawaiians use to get a driver's licence from the state and the document recognized by the federal government and the courts for all legal purposes. That's because it is the birth certificate. This is not and should not be an open question."

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

source: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Bor...330/story.html

 
Do share your immediate thoughts or reactions on this issue? We value your views! Login Now! or Sign Up Today! to share your views with us.. Gurfateh!

__________________
Prayer = TALKING to God; Meditation/Simran = LISTENING to God !
With the Divine Love & Blessings of WAHEGURU Ji, I wish you peace, love, light (enlightenment), health & happiness in life!

Thanks but that won't silence them. Indeed look at the time and efforts wasted. What fools!

Is US birth a constitutional requirement or a Xenophobic one?

Has any other US president been challenged in this way?

I think not....and I daresay the fact they have all been white is co-incidental and has nothing to do with it......