A COLB is an abridged form that can only prove that one is a citizen of the U.S., not a natural born citizen, nor a U.S. citizen who could possess citizenship of another country. A COLB is an option for people who only need to prove they are a citizen, but wish to avoid divulging additional details to others who do not have a need to know.
Now that he is president elect, 15 different legal challenges have been brought forth which contend that the citizens of the United States, do in fact have a need to know what his original long form BC states, including any amendments to the effect of any dual citizenship status.
Had the FEC, DNC, or any other state level Secretary of State demanded this level of detail, these lawsuits would not exist. Instead, he would either have been cleared of any suspicion, or he would have been removed as a candidate much earlier if he in fact did not meet eligibility.
If individuals who wish to fill roles as public officials were required by law to simply meet the same background clearance requirements that I myself was subjected to as an employee in the military defense industry (Yes - only an original long form birth certificate sufficed for my SSBI clearance), we would not be having this conversation.
Birth announcements in newspapers are of ZERO value. Anyone who was born in another country can still have their announcement entered 2 weeks later after returning to US soil without having to divulge which hospital he/she was born. And birth announcements fail to shed light on any dual citizenship status (in his case, his Indonesian citizenship)
And if even one witness who presided over his birth could come forth stating facts of his birth in a Hawaii hospital with some corroborating facts, his situation would be helped greatly. His own campaign listed first a hospital in Honolulu that did not exist in 1961, and later then listed another.
Sorry, but a COLB will not resolve this issue for the range of possibilities that now exist for his citizenship status. Only the original LONG FORM CERTIFICATE can suffice.
It would not be an "everyday" occurrence in 1961 that a beautiful young white girl would deliver a "black" baby!!!
Wouldn't you think that would be a kind of sensation (scandal) that anyone in the hospital would notice and remember???