Obama Releases Birth Certificate - 4 Steps to Make it Go Away

As we are all by now aware, Obama has at long last released his Certificate of Birth - the long form. Yes, we all know he released a Certification of Birth (or Live Birth Certificate) years ago, but considering it's relative ease to acquire and lack of information, understandably, this only served to exacerbate the controversy. 

So then, now that President Obama has released his authoritative birth certificate, will the controversy cease? Not on your life. Why? 

To answer this question, I must first take you back to the early days of the Obama-McCain presidential campaign. It was then that I wrote an article (I had yet to begin blogging) entitled "4 Steps To Make It Go Away." 


At the time, John McCain's origin of birth was being challenged because of being born in the Panama Canal Zone. So what did John McCain promptly supply? His birth certificate. The matter was settled and, other than people like me dredging up this forgettable footnote, not a word has been spoken of it since. We cannot say the same for Obama and how he has managed the same challenge. 

As you will recall, it was Obama's own party who initiated the demand for him to provide his birth certificate. The bandwagon was soon packed and overflowing - a caravan of disciples chanting the same mantra quickly ensued. It was this culmination of events that elicited my article and admonition to Obama: "4 Steps To Make It Go Away." In brief, here's what I proposed:

1. Release your birth certificate posthaste.

2. Offer a brief but thorough explanation why you chose to conceal your birth certificate. 

3. Express a sincere apology for why it took so long to release your birth certificate

4. Acknowledge those and their rationale for desiring to have your birth certificate released.

Obviously, President Obama did not take my advice. Had he, this heated controversy would have concluded long ago.

Getting back to why I believe the dispute will not go away even though Obama has released his birth certificate, the reasons are as simple as reviewing the "4 Steps To Make It Go Away," and how he failed at executing them. Let's take one at a time.

1. Release your birth certificate posthaste.

A consequence of waiting four years to release his birth certificate is the ensuing ruckus has now been seared into the minds of millions of Americans. They will forever recall the turmoil and the million dollar machinations, while proportioning scant acknowledgment to the reluctant resolution. For many, even those who may be somewhat consoled, there will always be a gargantuan asterisk attached to the release of his birth certificate. Suspicions of forgery, of which four years, power, and millions of dollars can easily buy, will now dog Obama all his days.  

Regardless of President Obama failing on the first step, I contend there was still hope for him to win the hearts and minds of those Americans, like me, who respond well to sound reason and an heartfelt explanation. Therefore, let's examine how Obama performed on the remaining three steps.

2. Offer a brief but thorough explanation why you chose to conceal your birth certificate. 

A quick review of Obama's press conference will readily reveal that he again ignored my guidance. Not only does he not present a single hint of why he chose to conceal his birth certificate, he falsely claims the controversy was only "two, two-and-half years now - I think it started during the campaign." Considering it's now nearly May of 2011, and his campaign began in February 2007, and he was elected president on November 4, 2008, it doesn't take a mathematician to discern the controversy has been prolonged a tad longer than 2 years.

So why misrepresent the duration of this fiasco? Obviously, the shorter his lapse in judgement, he believes, the more forgiving Americans (and possibly revisionist historians) might look upon him.


Regardless of the timeframe, the world's collective mouths are poised agape as we strain to hear any whiff of why four years have elapsed, millions of dollars spent in legal fees to bury the birth certificate, and suddenly it's appropriate and acceptable to release it. Why?

3. Express a sincere apology for why it took so long to release your birth certificate

It goes without saying, no apology for causing this misadventure was offered. Had he, you'd be reading an entirely different blog from me, as well as hearing Americans expressing a new and refreshing respect for the president. For all Obama's party faulted Bush for not being able to admit a mistake, it would appear he has acquired the same character flaw. I guess even the holy grail of politics, a precipitous jump in poll numbers, takes a back seat to pride...

4. Acknowledge those and their rationale for desiring to have your birth certificate released.

Again, not so much as a scintilla that he understands that honorable, sensible and caring Americans simply desired that President Obama release his birth certificate and to put all the hullabaloo behind us. Instead, he does precisely what he must not do: he speaks in a condescending manner and belittles millions of Americans. 

Obama Born in Hawaii? Donald Trump Thinks Not

Here we have a man who is solely responsible for not performing the most perfunctory duties by merely showing Americans his birth certificate. He hires a team of lawyers, spends millions of dollars to conceal it (raising suspicions even more), refuses to answer reasonable questions as to why go to such great lengths to hide his birth certificate, and then when the pressure from Donald Trump causes a dizzying drop in his polling numbers, he suddenly releases it. Why now when any time in the last four years would have sufficed? Obama is mute. And to top it off, he besmirches people like you and me and our rational inquiry as nothing more than "silliness."

Suppose I were a parent of a homeless family where the children questioned whether they were adopted. Would it be reasonable for me to belittle their concern and demand they keep quiet, all the while telling them our family had more pressing issues to attend? Regardless of the fact that there are profound financial challenges, wouldn't it behoove me to consider allaying their doubts? In the process, it would also seem to serve to not only help them feel more secure in my leadership, but to work together to solve the very real difficulties of putting a roof over our head... 

Yes, I resoundingly agree with President Obama: "we've got some enormous challenges out there." Let's take a quick look then at how Obama responded to America's request to release his birth certificate in order to put this behind us, so that we might best focus on these enormous challenges:

1. Obama waited approximately four years to release what could have been performed in a matter of seconds.

2. Obama offered no explanation whatsoever as to why he either chose to conceal or suddenly release it.

3. Obama expressed no sense of sorrow, regret or concern for putting America through four years of angst.

4. Obama belittles those Americans who feel they were justified in requesting the president provide a birth certificate.

Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961.

Personally, I was one of those who reasoned that Obama WAS born in Hawaii. However, because of Obama refusing to supply something as simple as his birth certificate, it seemed logical that he had something to hide. I had no idea what sort of secret he had to conceal, but it appeared conspicuous that if one has nothing to hide, they hide nothing. That was about the extent of my knowledge and concern. After all, "we've got some enormous challenges out there."

Nonetheless, now that it has taken four years for Obama to release his birth certificate, he offers no explanation, no apology or understanding why we might be concerned, and then closes his press conference by discounting and discrediting my concern, my suspicions are raised even higher than before. I am far from alone.

In other words, Obama does not wish this controversy to go away. He's done everything he can to ensure it will remain alive. His actions have been the very antithesis of the most efficacious way to govern such a chaotic controversy. Which begs the question: is he aware of how his response will play out or he is ultimately a clueless dolt? 

Were I to wager, I'd have to go with the former. This means that even Obama's seemingly inconsiderate, condensing manner in which he released his birth certificate, was a calculated exercise. Why? 

Birthers Recent "Report"

From my point of view, Obama cannot allow a political opportunity go to waste. What better way to keep the straw-man alive than to frame the release as to appear to give them what they want while withholding the key components. This will only inflame the controversy and thereby paint the "birthers" as an implacable sect of malcontents. 


Brilliant! Obama has figured out a way to have his proverbial cake and eat it too.

I think it just might work - that is, if we allow it to.

My prescription: be grateful for the crumbs. Yes, thank Obama for doing the right thing. However, I woud also not let it die, but not how Obama hopes we will. The operative words are kind, polite and reasonable. 


Though I don't anticipate giving this matter much attention beyond today, but if the opportunity presents itself, I will simply pose a logical, restrained question: if there was nothing to hide, why did our president keep his birth certificate suppressed for so many years?


The thrust on my inquiry is not to elicit an answer (which will never come), but to keep the issue alive, and in a way Obama does not anticipate. Not as a rabid, bloodthirsty muckraker, but as a respectable, circumspect American who simply possesses an inquisitive, prudent mind. After all, I do believe it is possible to focus on the "enormous challenges" while whispering that our question has yet to be addressed.

Again, such a calm and sensible approach won't result in a satisfying answer, nor will it get much play, but it will show us for the considerate, rational Americans we are. Just maybe, we can then proceed with the one sole attribute of Obama's press conference we can all agree: moving on to eminently more pressing matters, such as jobs, the economy, and international affairs. 


I might also add, possibly electing a president who is equipped to lead us forward into solving the very real challenges that confront us today. 

Mark

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