Attending the Tea Party Convention in Nashville this weekend, The Washington Independent’s always-excellent David Weigel recounts an extraordinary hallway confrontation between online publisher Andrew Breitbart and WorldNetDaily Editor-in-Chief Joseph Farah over the question of President Obama’s citizenship. (Here’s the video of his speech, courtesy of C-SPAN. It follows Angela McGlowan’s pep talk, starting at the 12.10 mark.)
During his speech, Farah said he hoped that Mr. Obama would not be able to go into any city without seeing signs asking about his bith certificate. “It’s a simple question but it hasn’t been answered,” he said, adding that “it’s one of the most important questions that we can be asking.”
Following the speech, Farah was cornered by Weigel, who informed him that Breitbart had dismissed the birther argument as a losing political argument. When Breitbart later walked by, Farah insisted that it was “a winning issue.” (You can read the entire article but I want to reproduce this verbatim snippet.)
“It’s not a winning issue.”
“It is! It becomes even more of a winning issue when the press abrogates its responsibility–”
“You don’t recognize it as a fundamentally controversial issue that forces a unified group of people to have to break into different parts? It is a schism of the highest order.”
“Nothing exposes the president’s–”
“Then prove it!”
Read the Full article at: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02/06/blogs/coopscorner/entry6180845.shtml
Note from JAMES: I have come to believe that the Obama birth certificate has been allowed to fester at the encouragement of the likes of Axelrod, who see it as a means of labelling opponenets of Obama and his policies (i.e birthers). Obama’s subtle reference to it at the National Prayer Breakfast underscores that. It has become more about the lack of integrity in Obama’s words and in Journalists, than in the actual birth certificate itself.
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February 6, 2010 at 1:36 pm
gumply
I have been reading and listening to information on the birth certificate issue, because of some things I have heard or read I was forced to go looking for information so I could decide for my self.
One thing that bothers me is that Obama was never really vetted by anyone. That sort of ticks me off. I want to know why we are not allowed to know the results of his passport info or his school info. He had them sealed all the way down to the first school he ever attended in Indonesia.
That seems weird to me.
As far as the issue of the birth certificate goes, I get the impression that it is not so much the birth certificate although that is how it started out but more so the fact that they are claiming he is not a natural born citizen.
I have been reading some cases ruled on by the Supreme Court some time ago long before they became politically correct. I am not sure I understand all of them so can’t come up with my own conclusion as of yet.
Since Obama’s father was a Kenyan with allegiance to Britain they think that disqualifies obo. It seems to me that they have two camps one believes he wasn’t born here due to the fact that his Grandmother claims she was there at his birth and the other thinks he didn’t have two natural born parents.
The thing that offends me mostly about this controversy, is the people like Beck, Obo-eilly and the rest of the people that call this group of people idiots, no brainers, and fringe wacko’s. Why is that? Is someone not allowed to have a different thought on different subjects.
I listened to the Roth Show when she had those two investigative reporters on the show and the subject was the deafening silence about the BC from everyone. From the info they have on the subject, I think it is pretty frightening but not surprizing considering we are dealing with Chicago style politics.
I am not a fanatic over the subject but I do have questions about the entire circumstance and I do not understand why it is a taboo subject unless the investigative reporters are absolutely correct.
February 6, 2010 at 2:01 pm
JAMES
gumply: It is such a touchy subject, because Obama acknowledged that he had dual citizenship until he was 18, because of his father’s British citizenship. I have a concern over some of the conflicting stories, from Obama himself— he and his sister have said that he was born in Honolulu, in BOTH Kapilaoni and Queens Hospital. Neither markets themselves as the birthplace as the 44th POTUS. Obama sent a letter to the Kapolaini Hospital after he became POTUS, congratulating them on their 100th anniversary, mentioning it as his birthplace. After they osted it oin their website, they were asked to remove it. Then there is the story from one of his mother’s classmates in Washington, who mentions Obama’s mother vsiting on her way back to HI when he was a few weeks old. Obama Sr being a British citizen, I have thoughts that he may have been born in Canada, for various reasons.
As far as the Supreme Court goes, Historian Dude, a commentor who posts everywhere to defend Obama’s citizenship, has one set of interpretations. I have had discussions with several Constitutional lawyers on the subject, and it is still open to interpretation.
I contend that if there is nothing to hide, show the damn papers and move on. As far as vetting, that is what I meant in a prior comment that I do not want to have the media choose the POTUS again as they did with Obama.
February 9, 2010 at 12:42 pm
HistorianDude
Almost every “fact” you mention here is false, James.
1. Neither Obama nor his sister have ever once claimed he was born anywhere other than Kapiolani Medical Center.
2. Kapiolani has used Obama’s letter declaring it to be his birthplace on at least two different fund raising campaigns.
3. Kapiolani was never “asked to remove” the letter from Obama. They have repeatedly gone on the record since to declare it authentic when asked.
4. The “mother’s classmate” story never once claims it was when she was “on her way back to HI.” Instead, she has just arrived in Washington to stay and attend school there.
Birther lies never die.
February 9, 2010 at 1:20 pm
JAMES
HD, I cannot believe it took you this long. The hospital did post the letter on their site, then removed it. I did not doubt the veracity of the letter’s authenticity as having come from the White House. One does not receive such a letter, post it, then remove it without being asked to do so. That is common logic. Where might one find its use in several campaigns for the hospital?
February 9, 2010 at 12:45 pm
HistorianDude
Gumply,
Do you honestly believe that nobody ever deserves to be called “idiots, no brainers, and fringe wacko’s?”
What then would you prefer we call those who have earned the labels?