Is There Legitimate Doubt About Obama's Eligibility to be President?

The Corner on National Review Online ^ | 7/6/2008 | Andy McCarthy

[Aria]

I had not caught up until today with this apparent controversy over whether the Hawaii birth certificate proffered by Obama's campaign is a forgery and whether there are legitimate questions about whether he was born in the United States — if he wasn't, he almost certainly would not be qualified under the Constitution and relevant immigration statutes to be president. Our Jim Geraghty seemed to pooh-pooh the birth certificate controversy about a week ago, but according to the above cited report (at a site called DougRoss@Journal) and a new one from Israeli Insider, there are new developments, and the Obama campaign appears to be stonewalling. Shouldn't it be a fairly easy matter to prove he was born in Hawaii if he really was? Why wouldn't Obama just end this quickly?

Is there anything to this?

ADDENDUM: I should add to the above that I am not a conspiracy theorist. My predisposition on the many stories floating around about Obama and his circle is to ignore them on the following theory: If there was really anything to this or that, the Clintons would have found it and gotten their media friends all over it. This story about Obama's eligibility puzzles me because (a) it is so basic, (b) it should be so easy to prove the relevant facts of his birth, (c) the Obama campaign's response to the story is bizarre, and (d) it seems to be getting worse rather than resolved.

07/06 12:09 PM

[BreitbartSentMe]

The clinton’s are waiting until the week before to leak and discredit Obama. So the confusion will allow the Superdelegates to call for a floor vote. The rest will be history. Now is that a conspiracy therory?

This was my thought also. Hillary is counting on us to be the ones to take out Barry at the final hour before the conventionfor her, leaving her hands clean. Then she can 'reluctantly' step in and take the nomination forward, with Obama ineligible to even be chosen as VP. She's counting on the blacks to support her against the evil republicans who took out their beloved Obamesiah, while she had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it.

[gunnedah]

Sure the questions are reasonable. What is not reasonable is that the government that is sworn to protect us has not checked this out thoroughly. Just shows you how our country is being run.

[ccmay]

Call me Machiavellian, but I suspect a plot to embarrass Obama detractors. Let us make a big fuss about it, and then produce the authentic cert.

Bingo! We have a winner!

-ccm

[ChocChipCookie]

Even if he wasn’t born in HI, if his mother is American, doesn’t that mean he’s a citizen? Of course if it should turn our that he wasn’t born in HI but he has said he was, then he would be proven (again) to be a liar.

[piytar]

Once and for all, no, it is not a forgery, and we shouldn’t be wasting time on this false flag: http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/5626

[Fishrrman]

The important thing about this small blurb on the National Review website is that this story is slowly working its way into the mainstream. Eventually it will become impossible for the “major media” to continue to ignore it.

I sense that this will pose major problems for Obama, if the story gets wider dissemination. Evenutally, with the fake certification of birth exposed, and with growing rumors that he just might have been born somewhere else other than Hawaii, Obama’s only recourse will be to permit examination of his _original_ birth certificate in Hawaii (or, the record of that on microfilm or microfiche). That is, if such a document exists.

If it gets that far, and if he cannot produce the original documentation - or if he refuses to permit such documentation to be examined - the “wild rumors” of such things as “a Kenyan birth” might prove to be a litttle less wild!

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a major change in “Obama’s story” if that happens....

- John

[CGASMIA68]

let the tearing begin

[Vinnie]

Disqualifying him on those grounds now - even if legitimate - would tear the country apart.

So your argument is that we should merely shrug and say "my bad" if it comes to light that he is not a natural born citizen?

Surely you jest!

[BreitbartSentMe]

IIRC the specifics of the claim is that Barry’s mama was 18 at the time of his birth, and the only way a US citizen can confer citizenship on a child NOT BORN in the US is if she had (at the time of the child’s birth) resided in the US for 5 years after the age of 16. She would not qualify under that provision, if Barry was NOT born in Hawaii.

[lgwdnbdgr]

It seems the obvious reason why Obama isn’t running to provide an authentic birth certificate is because he doesn’t need to. Nobody cares about this outside of the right wing blogosphere. He’d be stupid to stop, get off message and lend credence to every conspiracy theory we can dream up.

[saganite]

That’s a very insightful comment because everyone assumes the Democratic nominee has been chosen. Nothing could be further from the truth and what better way for the Clintons to hide their tracks than to float this in the blogosphere and let the pajamahadeen run the story to ground.

[Nathan Zachary]

I’ve wondered long ago if Obama was born in this country.
If the birth certificate which was posted on KOS is a forgery, then where is Obama’s real one?
Would he not have had to submit one when he registered his candidacy? It should be a matter of public record.

Wouldn’t it be nice however, if this America hating scum was disqualified because he was born in Kenya? (which makes sense)

[liberallarry]

Absolutely not. Dead serious.

Where you should be attacking him is on his connections with Wright, Farrakhan and the like. If a Michelle tape exists and comes to light he’s toast.

[ER Doc]

The Military will leave in droves just like in the Clinton years.

FWIW, the military is leaving in droves now! Captains and majors facing their third and fourth combat tours, and potential divorce, are choosing to leave in large numbers; many of them the best and brightest.

[Ingtar]

I’m not so sure this isn’t something floated by Obama’s campaign to discredit those who question him on other things.

[EEDUDE]

Have you ever gotten to the point in your life where you thought that the best thing that could happen is that the whole thing burns to the ground and you’d get to start over?

I think that’s where the electorate is today.

Here in Indiana, which should be a very red state, I sense NO enthusiasm for McCain.

People don’t know what they want, but they damn sure know what they don’t want.

I think that’s why the “change” mantra is resonating. McCain is up against the wall.

[Aria]

That was a very interesting link. Thanks.

[Sherman Logan]

But what politician has ever tried—let alone succeeded—before in passing off a fictionalized account of his life as an autobiography?

JFK?

[penowa]

"But surely our countrymen have a few brain cells at least still functioning..."

Surely you jest. How many citizens do you think have actually read the Constitution with the exception of those studying first year Constitutional Law or citizens old enough to have read it in grade school when Civics was taught? The late nite shows have no problem finding people who haven't the faintest idea who the sitting VP is, and you think they would know what the requirements to be President are? LOL!

Many posters on FR are unable to grasp the difference in a citizen and a natural born citizen, and you expect the public as a whole to figure out what the Constitution says about the requirements for President and then apply them to the candidates running?

[Thud]

Obama’s mother was an American so he is too.