Obama releases birth certificate

Document released in an attempt to end "birther" debate

“We do not have time for this silliness,” President Barack Obama stated today. “I am confident that the American people and America's political leaders can come together in a bipartisan way and solve [our] problems... [But] we're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers.”

Obama’s statement regarding rumors of his non-citizenship, and his subsequent releasing of his official birth certificate this week, shows a man who is ready to work but frustrated with the bipartisan clamor from critics who don’t believe he was born in the U.S.

It was, in fact, a non-issue to begin with: Obama had already proven his citizenship long ago, before he had even won the office of the presidency. Apparently not satisfied with the certificate of live birth, however, so-called “birthers” required nothing short than an actual birth certificate to prove Obama’s citizenship.

Nevermind that other presidential contenders from that year – such as Republican candidate John McCain – were actually born outside of the U.S. as well. And nevermind that Obama, whose mother was an American, was qualified as a “naturally born” citizen even if he was birthed outside of the country. None of these facts mattered, none of them were convincing enough to the birthers who knew that Obama was fabricating his citizenship (a “fact” that they undoubtedly will continue to push, despite it being disproven).

Even “somehow-presidential-contender” Donald Trump got into the mix. He, too, demanded that Obama release his birth certificate. Trump also “knew” that Obama was born in Kenya, from sources he had obtained where Obama’s grandmother allegedly made the claim.

Those assertions, however, have been long-debunked as well.

Obama is right: this “silliness” needed to stop. There are far more important issues affecting the country right now than trying to prove Obama’s already-proven citizenship. It’d be different if there was a shred of evidence left that hadn’t already been dismissed as erroneous – if that were the case, there’d be reason to bring up the issue. But despite lacking any credible evidence, the birther-conspiracy continued on, certain that the president was perpetrating the largest caper in American political history.

What’s distressing is that, after all of the Tea Party/Republican accusations that Obama was hiding something, Republicans are now blaming Obama for the distraction to the national debate. GOP Chairman (and Wisconsin native) Reince Priebus made a statement following the release of Obama’s certificate that made it clear it was Obama’s fault that real issues weren’t being talked about:

“The president ought to spend his time getting serious about repairing our economy,” Priebus said. “Unfortunately his campaign politics and talk about birth certificates is distracting him from our number one priority – our economy.”

By creating the problem in the first place, the Tea Party and Republican Party are both to blame for the distraction. But now, in totally denying that it’s their responsibility at all, and shifting that responsibility wrongly to the president, Priebus and the GOP are just downright shameful in their actions, lying directly to the American people over an issue they themselves formed.