Based on the way he framed his speech, I think he did it in order to try to get a message across to people about what's really important right now, rather than what the media is focusing on. Of course, how much of that speech will get play on the evening news is anyone's guess. But I think he was trying to use the attention that the birth certificate gets, to get a chance to speak about the other stuff. He made a few remarks that support that, such as news stations not "breaking in" for other stories, and then his going on to talk about those other things anyway.

I think he could (and should) have given that speech without releasing the document.

I'm just glad the Daily Show and Colbert Report are not on vacation this week.

I don't think releasing it will shut the stupid up, it will just make them look even more absurd. How they don't realize that Hilary or McCain would have "gotten to the bottom of this" before the election is beyond my comprehension. And wasn't McCain's eligibility in question because he wasn't born on US soil?

I also think that if his name was Michael Weston or some other American sounding name this would have never been an issue.

Well, if it were Michael Weston he'd have to explain a hole lot of explosions in Miami; and a penchant for unattractively thin women.

with a disappearing Irish accent.

I probably should have said Michel Smith or something else "American" sounding.

They want Hawaii to prove it's a state?! Seriously?! WTF?!

They already get his panties in a twist that he goes home on vacation to HI all the time.

There's a great clip floating around (from the Daily Show) of Bill O'Riley trying to end the fringe lunacy. It's amusing.

I was reading the comments (yeah... I know...) on a story about the long form release. One of the "birthers" wrote:

:rolleyes:

A piece I read this morning hit the nail on the head, imo. It's a brilliant piece of Obama strategy. Further marginalizes the GOP by having such idiots continue to bray about this. His remarks were right on the money. Americans don't give a flying fvck about this issue, but want the government to do something about, oh, how about JOBS!?

Most of the country is already PISSED at the Republicans for advancing their absurd social agenda while doing nothing to create jobs, and for trying to solve the deficit problem on the backs of people dependent on Medicare while giving tax breaks to the ultra-rich. The mood in this country has swung very anti-GOP, and this birther issue is now all theirs to deal with, and Obama has washed his hands of it.

Most in the GOP know this full well. Boener and several other Congresspersons issued statements yesterday that they are satisfied with the president's citizenship credentials. They are not stupid, and would like this issue to go away.

But it won't. Something like 45% of Republicans believed the president is not an American. Don't know how many of those small and ignorant minds were changed yesterday, but that's the constituency they're stuck with. And they're stuck with the likes of the Donald as the front runner because you have to be a whack-job these days to win a Republican primary. Problem is, whack-jobs can't win general elections.

So the Pres was happy to hand off this problem to them, while chiding them in public for doing ZIP about issues Americans actually care about.



Obama is sometimes a brilliant politician. I wish he were a better president -- but he's better than most of them have been in my 50 years. Yesterday was a good day for him. Smart man.