Disappointed in Obama's handling of the birthers.

[Daemonaquila]

I'm amazed at Obama's handling of the birthers. I completely understood and sympathized with his initial refusal to play the birth certificate game, as it's a ridiculous, artificial cover for the right wing's racism. But once he took that stance, he needed to stick with it. The proof of his U.S. birth is all there. Hawaiian officials have said it. News organizations have said it. Even crazies like Michelle Bachman have said it's a non-issue. The only people still pounding the desk are the racist whack-a-loons who want it to be true so badly that they could watch live video of his birth, interview every doctor and nurse around, and still insist that it was all faked, and the witnesses are involved in a government conspiracy.

Which is exactly what they'll do today. They'll say that it took him a long time to manufacture the appropriately aged certificate and create a false paper trail, and that he has only done it now because of the pressure they created by telling the truth about his non-citizenship. This will be the next whack-a-loon crusade, proving the birth certificate is a fake. They'll be calling for his impeachment for the crime of forgery by the end of the day.

It was unnecessary. He would've been better off letting the idiots keep making idiots of themselves about an issue that the rest of the world was tired of hearing about years ago. Now, there will be a fresh issue, and it will get press on every channel. Faux News will have a panel on a Sunday morning show, debating about what it would take for such a forgery to be accomplished, and on it will go...

[Epiphany4z]

1. i think it will

just drive them to come up with even crazier stuff. That can only hurt the republicans.

[Mrsadkins9399]

2. I think he had no choice

I think the polling was showing almost half the country believing the Birther BS.

[KeepItReal]

6. You know that same "almost half" doesn't support Obama anyway

And I don't see almost half the country asking for the President to be impeached for false birth records.

[Daemonaquila]

9. No, half the GOP.

I think the poll you're thinking of showed that a bit over half the GOP are "doubt" or "are not sure" of his citizenship. Not only are they already cracked, but it's in their best interest to cast doubt. There's nothing he can do to make that bunch happy.

[KeepItReal]

3. Now the Donald is puffing out his chest like he accomplished something

Trump was making a caricature of himself (even more than normal) with the birther crap.

Obama needs to know how to just be in the right and stand his ground. You don't give an inch to grandstanding liars like Trump.

[RBInMaine]

25. No, he slapped them down as pushing a FOOLISH issue. He did GREAT.

[Trajan]

4. Blah Blah Blah

EVERY Thanksgiving, there is someone who hates the fucking gravy ...

Makes me wanna put gravy on everything on the table ....

[AtomicKitten]

17. LOL.

:beer:

[vaberella]

5. Did you hear his speech on the issue? You might change your mind if you did. n/t

[Daemonaquila]

12. But, it doesn't.

Obama's comments to the press were spot on, as they usually are in these situations. However, I don't see them shutting up the birthers. Those in the GOP who merely say they "doubt" or "aren't sure" about his birth will continue saying it even if they don't believe it. The true believers will continue their campaign, just change the "crime" he has committed.

I'd like to be wrong about this. Even if Trump shuts up because he's too protective of his ego to look like even more of an idiot, the Orly Taitzes of the world will keep up the fight.

[phleshdef]

7. Obama has proven to be a better judge of how to handle personal controversies than any of his...

...critics want to give him credit for. After he Rev Wright fiasco and him going on to win it all, no one needs to pretend they should be giving him advice on this sort of thing.

[treestar]

23. Exactly. Obama does not do the obvious and that bugs those

simpler people who would. It doesn't get a person anywhere. Obama may curse them out in private. He just can't do that in public. His critics have no idea how to handle things - what they would do would just cause damage.

[craigmatic]

8. I agree you can't reason with people who have that kind of irrational hatred of you.

[bluestateguy]

10. Because that's typical Obama: try to play kissyface and appease people who hate you

and he make a fool out of himself every time.

[soleft]

11. And everytime he wins

[treestar]

22. How do you treat people who hate you?

I'm sure going ballistic would not work for a politician.

[DCBob]

13. It was getting too distracting... this will now end it from being a feature story on MSM.

guarantee it. BTW, the idiots will find another way to look like idiots.. that is also guaranteed.

[woolldog]

14. The fact is, it makes him look incredibly weak

capitulating like this. Was watching al jazzera and the anchors were literally laughing at Obama having to release the BC

[CakeGrrl]

16. Perhaps they were laughing at the state of U.S. politics?

It just might be that people who already consider him weak, be they on the left or right, are just finding more fodder to support their view.

:eyes:

[RBInMaine]

26. Guess you didn't watch the speech. He was strong and slapped them down hard.

[woolldog]

27. I did watch the press conference

And Obama handled it well. He is good at these types of things and made his decision sound reasonable.

I still fundamentally believe it sends the wrong message to cave in on this though.

[CakeGrrl]

15. No. It's now time for them and the MSM to STFU or else be

regarded as the fringe idiots they will be if they continue to pursue legitimacy issues.

The President has drawn the line. If the MSM continues to entertain the fools, that's on them. He acknowledged there's a segment of people for whom this will not be enough, but he is now addressing the majority of the American people. He's done with them.

[polichick]

18. imo it was completely up to him to decide how to play this. Looks like...

...he wanted to blunt the distraction.

(Oh, and FUCK THAT IDIOTIC ATTENTION WHORE TRUMP!)

[jillan]

19. I see this totally different. Obama looks like the grown-up and just made the birthers look like a

bunch of insane fools.

Let them go on and on about the birth certificate - it will just help Obama get re-elected. The wackos will always be the wackos.

It's time for the MSM to stop feeding on this frenzy - that will be the real test here.

[Avant Guardian]

20. It's below the office of the president to react to crackpots

[DCBob]

21. as if..

[RBInMaine]

24. Nah. He put it in just the right context and shamed them as fools.

[moondust]

28. It doesn't matter.

Nothing has changed in the real world.