Posted on 01/06/2009 10:07:47 AM PST by FreeAtlanta
How do we know Stephen Harper was born in Toronto? Sure, there may be hospital records, and he probably has a birth certificate. But have any of us seen such proof? For all we know, he could have been born in the United States. He certainly seems well-steeped in American-style politics.
The question may seem silly, since it doesn't matter much where he was born. But in the U.S., where the constitution explicitly states that only a "natural-born citizen" can become president, the question has provided fodder for spurious attacks on president-elect Barack Obama.
Obama was born in Hawaii, where his Kansas-born mother and Kenyan father met while attending university. His parents soon divorced, and Obama followed his mother to Indonesia. After a few years, he returned to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. It was only in his early adulthood that he visited Africa for the first time to explore his Kenyan roots.
Campaign controversy
The birthplace controversy arose during the 2008 presidential campaign, when Obama refused to release his birth certificate to the media. It immediately aroused suspicion among the more avid dirt-diggers. The issue refused to die, even after Hawaiian officials and others inspected his certificate and confirmed it to be in order.
On Dec. 15, Washington Times columnist Diana West was still asking about Obama's place of birth. Unable to add any fuel to the fire, she instead lambasted the "mainstream media" for dropping the story. Thus the story of the story keeps the allegation alive long after it has been discredited. It's standard procedure for what MediaMatters founder David Brock refers to as the "Republican noise machine."
Spurious lawsuits surrounding Obama's citizenship continue to be filed in state courts, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has already dismissed one such challenge out of hand.
Open book
Ironically, there is little mystery about Obama's childhood. His life is, quite literally, an open book. In "Dreams From My Father," he recounts in vivid detail much of his early life, including his time as a boy in Indonesia, his formative school years in Hawaii and his pursuit, as a young man, of a career in community organizing in New York and Chicago.
In fact, he is surprisingly candid about many of the things his opponents allude to, including his flirtations with socialist ideas and "black power" activism.
Like any leader, Obama is susceptible to the pitfalls of power. His words and deeds are those of someone who could easily succumb to arrogance or a lack of pragmatism. Only after his inauguration on Jan. 20, however, can such judgments even begin to be made.
Meanwhile, the slings and arrows of gutter politics are the last thing he needs as he faces the black hole left in the wake of last year's economic collapse.
Canadian approach
The same applies on this side of the border.
Stephen Harper may be a born-and-bred Canadian, but his hyper-partisan approach to governance is foreign to most Canadian voters. The Conservatives almost fell to a hastily contrived opposition coalition in December. Harper saved his skin by invoking a rare privilege to shut down Parliament prematurely.
When the government's new budget is released at the end of this month, it must be considered purely on its economic recovery merits. If Harper decides to bulldoze ahead with divisive measures, he should be forced to step aside. But if he finally manages to step back from his pitbull ploys, the opposition should play along.
It's not the time for political opportunism.
Peter Jackson is The Telegram's editorial page editor. He can be contacted by e-mail at pjackson@nl.rogers.com.
not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.
I suppose this means the writer has proof of Obama's birthplace? Like an original copy of his birth cert?
It has never been proven that he was born in Hawaii. No site or entity has ever had the proof.
I love Canada. The derogatory term in Canada is “American-style”
Yeah, and I call gravy, on top of cheese, on top of french fries to be “Canadian-style”.
Yep, I was wondering the same thing. Where’s his proof?
Liberals are rarely more disingenuous than when they are being "candid".
I simply do not recall REAL attacks not happening. They looked real. They felt real.
Did you get a different impression?
If this is true, why won't he produce his birth certificate?? Why has he spent ~$1,000,000.00 to keep people from seeing it??
Tell the lie, tell it often enough . . . .
If Obama was born in Hawaii, it is a simple thing to prove, but he can’t do it. Until he does, I’ll believe his paternal grandmother who didn’t have anything to hide before Obama’s thug Odinga shut her up. The O is a fraud. The lib argument to the contrary is that the O doesn’t have to demonstrate proof of where he was born because he was born in Hawaii, even though no one is able to substantiate that. For further proof of the O’s authenticity, libs offer up his fictional biographies, his pitiful, self indulgence. Fact is, the dimwits who worship Obama are more than willing to go to any silly extremes to defend him, for now. Even the O’s dupes will wake up to the fraud they are involved in. The USS of Omerica is going to become a horrible place to live.
LOL That’s all they do is lie.
I guess he don’t need no stinkin’ proof!
He was born in Hawaii because he says so, but refuses to produce a birth certificate or any other records? That’s an interesting new standard for journalistic fact-checking.
I’m sorry, I usually get you, but I’m totally confused by your post, can you restate it?
The way he did this "spurious" identifies the kind of attack, not the material used in those attacks. The correct way to say it (and remember the writer is a Canadian) is to say "attacks using spurious material".
You nailed that one.
Hmmm...ok, I guess I did a little too much New Year celebrating...my brain is not functioning!
Can happen to anyone. Look at the President-elect ~ he had a brain-freeze and never came out of it. His potential successor, Joe Biden, had unsuccessful brain surgery THREE times.
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