JAMES TARANTO: It's certifiable: the last word on Obama's place of birth

The Wall Street Journal ^ | July 30, 2009 | JAMES TARANTO

[curiosity]

Several readers have written over the past few days taking us to task for dismissing so-called birthers as lunatics without bothering to refute their claims. We reluctantly concede their point. The birthers have managed to sow confusion in the minds of some who are not lunatics, and for the latter group’s benefit it is worth clarifying matters.

[Star Traveler]

You said — Why does such a possibility bother you?

—

I think his staff is working on it right now... a new proposal that may be coming out any day now... Obama will mail you his birth certificate in exchange for your vote in the next election... LOL...

[editor-surveyor]

Pure leftist excrement!

There is no such thing as an ‘obsolete’ birth cirtificate. - What a convoluted logical siezure!

[GoDuke]

Do I expect him to release it? Not in a million years.

[SpaceBar]

Alinsky’s RULE 5: “Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.”

And it's being practiced right here on FreeRepublic by those protecting Obama from potentially embarrassing or politically devastating information becoming public.

[AmericanVictory]

How does that correct its obfuscations and inaccuracies?

[editor-surveyor]

Where did all you left wing noobies sprout from?

[AmericanVictory]

So as far as you’re concerned her legal opinion trumps that of the Supreme Court. She is the ultimate authority not the Constitution or what the Supreme Court of a phrase of the Constitution that is quite specific, do we understand that correctly?

[Star Traveler]

You said — And it’s being practiced right here on FreeRepublic by those protecting Obama from potentially embarrassing or politically devastating information becoming public.

—

On the other hand, it simply could be d*mned hilarious... LOL...

[editor-surveyor]

"I do find myself a fair bit disappointed by how far the level of discourse has dropped here over the years."

And you and the curiousity have done much to contribute thereto.

[AmericanVictory]

And enlarging the discussion of his refusal to reveal the truth of the matter and spending a lot of money to avoid doing so will help his numbers just how?

[Las Vegas Ron]

I do find myself a fair bit disappointed by how far the level of discourse has dropped here over the years.

I see the high and mighty have shown up which is okay, you egomaniacs fall the hardest.

[SpaceBar]

You seem a little too concerned about us “birthers” looking foolish. Methinks you doth protest too much.

[Star Traveler]

You said — So as far as you’re concerned her legal opinion trumps that of the Supreme Court. She is the ultimate authority not the Constitution or what the Supreme Court of a phrase of the Constitution that is quite specific, do we understand that correctly?

—

I see “Supreme Court” and “Constitution” throw around a lot as “buzz words”, but that’s about all that happens..

Here’s the issue, per the Constitution and here is what it says, in regards to qualifications. The Constitution says that a candidate must *be* the following in order to qualify for the office. The candidate must ...

*be* 35 years or older
*be* a resident 14 years or more
*be* a natural born citizen

And Obama has sworn under oath that he *is* (as the Constitution says he must *be*)...

It does not say what is necessary to show it, prove it or what any means for “vetting” is. That’s up to the states themselves to vet and make sure that the candidates meet the qualifications.

And what they have done is sworn an oath that they are qualified..., Obama has, the other candidates have and they have in the past...

—

And in addition the State of Hawaii says that he *is* exactly what the Constitution says he must *be*...

http://hawaii.gov/health/about/pr/2009/09-063.pdf

“I, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, Director of the Hawai‘i State Department of Health, have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawai‘i State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawai‘i and is a natural-born American citizen. I have nothing further to add to this statement or my original statement issued in October 2008 over eight months ago.”

This shows that there is no Constitutional issue or question. So, when there is no Constitutional issue at problem here with the Qualifications for office, why would the Supreme Court get involved? Which is why they didn’t get involved.

But, there is plenty of political issues to deal with, in terms of conservatives opposing Marxist/liberal/leftist policies, legislation and agendas.

[editor-surveyor]

"This is garbage and I’m still trying to wrap my head around why so many on the conservative side is going out of their way to bash us as much as the liberals"

The curiosity has never been "on the conservative side."

[marron]

Truthfully, I want the issue to be false. I want obama to present proof of his birth and identity. I WANT him to be a bona fide Constitutionally eligible citizen. I want him to put the birther conspiracy to rest. I WANT obama to end this, and end it well, because the alternative is terrible.

Thank you. Well said.

I'm not looking for a magic bullet. I'm looking to find out if my president has deceived the country on something rather basic. I hope he hasn't, because as you say, the alternative is bad for America.

His response, the invective, the ducking and weaving, the ad hominems, the flacks and hacks obscuring the facts, all of that just makes me very queasy, and I want this thing cleared up. We've never had a guy in office with so little paper trail, and what little there is sealed, and it all just smells weird. Whatever he's hiding may be just personally embarrassing rather than legally embarrassing but we've never had a president this determined to hide his past.

I hope all our theories are wrong, and he's just an anal narcissistic marxist. That by itself is challenge enough.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Chiyome Fukino, both confirm that Obama’s original birth certificate still exists. Fukino says she has seen [Obama’s original birth certificate] and that the information matches the now-official electronic records reflected on the certificate Obama has released.

I thought she said that she'd seen vital records documents. She did not name those documents, I thought. Would a court accept the assumption that "documents" meant Obama’s original birth certificate?

[Star Traveler]

Nope... these days, I’m getting a kick out of it.. LOL...

[jessduntno]

“Apparently it takes 6 months before you learn how to think.”

It’s damp under those bridges and in those caves...

[bvw]

Do you have someplace you can go and ponder your discouragement? A special place which you seek out in such horridly discouraging times?

[AmericanVictory]

Just how does the doctor’s statement using a constitutional phrase come to be the ultimate interpretation of that phrase?
For all we know she means he was not delivered by C section, leave alone the several ways in which the documents itself might be questionable albeit it is the only reasonable starting point. The Supreme Court has said long since, in 1874 that any time that one parent is not an American citizen the “natural born citizen” status of the child is in “doubt.” The doctor’s opinion of a constitutional phrase is not worth the insincerity and obviously political motive it was uttered with. Do you think the doctor has even read the Constitution?