Exactly. "They don't take me seriously, so I'll show them. I'll run as an independent and ensure that Obama gets re-elected. That'll teach them to mess with The Donald!"
If he can't win the nomination in the party that's the home of most conservatives, then how does he expect to win the general election? And oh, suppose the nominee was Palin, or Bachmann. Would you still be thrilled if he ran as an independent?
I'd be more thrilled if he did not run at all. But that's not going to happen until someone takes the air out of his balloon. There's only one person that can take the air out of Trump's balloon and that's Obama.
All he has to do is release his records completely and come clean with more than American people 80% of which are suspicious about his eligibility to be the President.
Personally, I prefer that it not be a choice between Donald Trump and Obama. But If Congress does not do their job and hold hearings on the issue (just like they did about John McCain having been born in Panama) then this issue will move on to be an issue during the Election 2012 Campaign. Something that should not be.