“We do not have time for this kind of silliness,” President Obama told reporters at the White House. And, with that a chapter was reduced to a footnote in our country’s history. This morning, the White House released copies of the president’s long-form birth certificate, immediately shutting down a particular brand of politics that has sullied our nation’s landscape for several years: The “Birther” Movement.
The president went on to express his chagrin for such matters, but knew that if the issues of his birth were not addressed in a definitive manner, the country would remain “distracted” and would not be able to meet our “enormous challenges.” He also took issue with those who have ratcheted up the issue of his birth certificate as “carnival barkers” attuned to a “side show.”
The “birther” movement interprets the U.S. Constitution’s wording that only a “natural born” citizen can become president. Birthers contend that, regardless of the fact that his mother was a natural born citizen (making him a U.S. citizen), President Obama was born outside of the United States, 
which would make his birth unnatural. In contrast, 2008 GOP presidential candidate, John McCain, was born in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone, a then-U.S. sovereign.
According to Bob Bauer, White House legal counsel, the administration made a special request from the state of Hawaii to obtain a long-form birth certificate. Previously, in 2008, Obama released a shorter, legally-binding “certificate of live birth.” Instead of extinguishing any doubt, it had the reverse effect. Up until today, the president has made light of the growing controversy.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll showed that 75 percent of Americans believe that Obama was definitely or probably born in the U.S. Still, four in 10 Republicans believe he probably or definitely was not born in America. Allegations that Obama was not born in the U.S. have been repeatedly discredited. A recent CNN investigation turned up no evidence to support the birther claims.
“At a time of great consequence for this country — when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, D.C. was once again distracted by a fake issue,” White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said. “The president’s hope is that, with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country.”
