The crazy thing is that even if President Obama had been born in Kenya he would STILL BE a natural born citizen. His mom was an American citizen so he was at birth.

I would be hard pressed to name a "mainstream" politician with I agree less than I do with President Obama, but this whole birth certificate thing is the worst kind of 'gotcha politics'. Disagree with him all you like; raise questions about his background and whether he was 'brain washed' in an Islamic school as a child; suggest he is a stalking horse for the Radical Left. But to suggest that he is not constitutionally qualified to hold the office of President is silly.

Having said all of that I think that the President and the people in his camp have played this one poorly.

PS to all those who want to argue that if he was born in Kenya that President Obama is a citizen by statute and not a natural born citizen - interesting argument. Show me in the Constitution where the term 'natural born' is defined.

"and whether he was 'brain washed' in an Islamic school as a child"...

This part is the only issue with this whole asinine "Birther" conspiracy that is remotely interesting... not the “brainwash” part but the “Islamic school” part. It is my understanding that in order to attend one of these schools, Obama's father would have had to denounce Barry/Barrack’s US citizenship... which begs the questions, if true, when and how did he re-instate it and did he need to?

*grin at Jason*

When I moved to Georgia in 2004 in order to obtain a driver license I was forced to produce a certified original copy of my long form birth certificate even though I showed a valid California license and an expired US passport as well as a valid retired law enforcement ID which allows me to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the US. Also, Obama's mother was probably only 17 years of age at the time of his birth making his father, a British subject the only adult able to confer "natural born" status on the infant. Furthermore, why was McCain's citizenship questioned but not the teleprompter jesus?

Just askin'.

The McCain campaign actually explored Obama's citizenship but found no cause for action.

"[P]robably" implies conjecture. Sounds like you just want something to whine about.

Conjecture? Yep, anything not properly confirmed is conjecture. Sort of like using the term "sounds like". As for the McCain "campaign" they "probably" couldn't take action exiting from a burning building.

The problem with conspiracy theorists is that nothing will ever be "properly confirmed." If someone points out a flaw in the logic or presents a known fact, it is tossed aside or dismissed as part of the conspiracy. For example the Certificate of Live Birth presented by Obama to FactCheck.org, which has debunked this whole myth, has pointed out that Hawaii doesn't issue a long-form birth certificate. Furthermore, the birth certificate that Hawaii has given Obama serves as "prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding."

Ann Dunham, Barack Obama's mother, was born on November 29, 1942. Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in a hospital in Hawaii. She was 18, or do you want to see her birth certificate too?

Deal's skepticism and demand for answers only begs the question: when will Nathan Deal respond to the rumors about his birth?

For instance, that he was born in Canada while his father was attempting to dodge the WWII draft? Or that his parents were actually Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?

I don't have any issues with his birth, and I'm not saying the rumors are true; I'm just asking questions. But when does Rep. Deal plan on responding to these rumors? Where does he suggest I refer people to a source that he thinks is credible so that we can answer these questions?

I think that is a reasonable proposition and certainly something that I think Deal should respond to. Although at this point, he has not.

People have been digging into Obama's birth records since he became a viable candidate for president, and all realistic efforts, including those by both the Clinton and McCain campaigns have concluded that he was born in HI, thus making him a natural born citizen. Finally, Obama himself provided proof of his natural born status. Furthermore, the Republican governor of HI announced that Obama was indeed born there as did other state officials. As to the leading Birthers, their credibility may be judged by their lack of evidence, their previous criminal records, their political interests, and the credence they lend other absurd conspiracies.

People have been digging into Obama's birth records since he became a viable candidate for president,

While I agree with the rest of your comment, I want to nitpick this statement. Questions about Obama's birth and Constitutional eligibility didn't start cropping up when he announced his candidacy, or when the Democratic debates began, or even when the primaries started.

Rather, the rumors and questions only started getting tossed around in June 2008, after he'd already clinched the Democratic nomination.

Birthers want to backdate the start of their mission as much as possible, and pretend that their questions weren't simply invented midway through the campaign. It may seem to be a minor point, but I consider it to be a critical one.

Deal's office has been pointed to the factcheck.org site via email and through phone calls to his office to his staff before he ever sent any correspondence to the President.

That he still chose to persue contacting the President directly on this matter shows that he's truly of the mind of a birther and should be called on it.

[While we are open to differing opinions here, we do not tolerate personal attacks. You're not promoting your site here.]

Furthermore, why was McCain's citizenship questioned.

Easy. Because McCain wasn't born in USA, whereas Obama was :)

I don't buy that either, since the Panama Canal Zone was considered US soil at the time.

Green Death
"" It is my understanding that in order to attend one of these schools, Obama's father would have had to denounce Barry/Barrack’s US citizenship..." Parents cannot 'renounce' a minor child's citizenship.

Actually I agree with you, Jason, I thought it was pretty sick to question it, but that is the reason why McCain's eligibility was questoned.

Did you know that even *now* there is dispute as to whether children born overseas to wives of those serving in the Military are 'Natural Born Citizen's'?

"I've repeatedly challenged others to find anything false, misleading, or illogical in any of my coverage and no one's been able to do it."

Your claim that you could get a Hawaii, BC when not born there is misleading. You coulod, but sure as hell it would NOT say 'Born in Honolulu' on it :)

I removed his comments, Jerry. He is not promoting his site here.

Green Death:

Your understanding of Indonesian law is dead wrong. That's what happens when you get your information from kooky birther sites. Try reading some independent sources and then apply a little critical thinking. It will change your world.

Green Death is no birther. He is criticizing them.

"I removed his comments, Jerry. He is not promoting his site here".

Aww...I was only just getting started!

Sorry! But I read Dave's post and saw he'll be writing a post about me. Awesome.

The question would be also does Mr. Deal really know what he wants? By him discussing the matter about Obama's birth says this to me: if he has some real tangible, legimate, and legal proof against the man then bring it out for us to see. If not he should not have gone down this road.

Jason, I'm so unused to bloggers not responding to comments I didn't realise this was your blog!

Thanks for taking the time to post the debate, and to reply to posters.

No problem, Jerry. Thanks for dropping bye.

Re: "if he was born in Kenya..."

Why discuss this hypothetical? He wasn't born in Kenya. There's no documents or other credible evidence that he was born in Kenya. HIs Kenyan grandmother did not say that he was born in Kenya. She said that he was born in Hawaii.

And there is legal confirmed proof that he was born in Hawaii. He has shown the official birth certificate of Hawaii, the only one that Hawaii sends out since it no longer sends copies of the original. And the facts on that document were twice confirmed by the officials in Hawaii (members of a Republican governor's administration).

I will be voting for Austin Scott, he has my support 100%.
In my opinion,and I realize we all have one. he is the best candidate by far. he has no PRIOR political ties to any surrounding counties...case in point:
HENRY COUNTY

The question still remains. If the Dept. of Health in Hawaii maintains the ORIGINAL vital record, according to state policy and procedures, why not show those records vs. what has been provided on the internet.

Plain and simple, do you realize that there are cases still being filed and appealed. Leo Donofrio one of the first attorneys to have a case conferenced at SCOTUS has filed a case on behalf of ex Chrysler dealers where this will be one of the issues. Mario Apuzzo has just filed an appeal and Orly Taitz has filed a request to have her case moved to the DC District Court a suggestion that was made in a brief by the DOJ and now the DOJ has filed a motion trying to block their own suggestion.
By the way any cases whether you think they are frivolous are not are being defended by tax dollars thru the Dept. of Justice. Whose your buddy?

I will repeat my question
If the Dept. of Health in Hawaii maintains the ORIGINAL vital record, according to state policy and procedures, why not show those records vs. what has been provided on the internet.
Jason how bout this, How bout I show you how you can legally request vital records from the state of Hawaii, concerning Barack Obama, using their laws and statues and see what results you get.
Right now the Dept. of Health in Hawaii is breaking their own laws and statues when it comes to requests of index data pertainning to President Obama.
I challenge you Jason in the quest for the TRUTH to contact me to start that quest.

Sorry, Barack Obama is a natural born citizen. It is a truth. Don't like his policies? Beat him the right way, not by making up bat shit crazy conspiracy theories.

I have issues with at least two items addressed in this opinion piece:

1. "...Tim Bryant of WGAU asked Deal directly about why he is pursuing the kooky conspiracy theory."

There is nothing kooky about asking Obama to present his bona fides. As a matter of fact, only 51% of Americans believe Obama eligible.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=122525

2. "...there is a source that has thoroughly debunked this conspiracy theory.

Well, who the hell is Annenberg Fact Check? They are part of the same left wing organization that funded the unrepentent terrorist, Bill Ayers.

Besides, their analysis is flawed:

http://www.theobamafile.com/_eligibility/IssueFactCheck.htm

Have a nice day . . .

There is something kooky about it when there is nothing legitimate that conspiracy theorists have presented. It's all conjecture or innuendo. When presented with fact, conspiracy theorists toss it aside or it's part of the conspiracy.

Again the question is this, The state of Hawaii has confirmed that they maintain the original vital statistics on file in accordance to state policy and procedures. What was put on the internet is not the original vital statistic. THE ONLY WAY to get rid of the conspiracy is to have TRANSPARENCY and show the ORIGINAL vital statistics. What is so hard to understand about that?

Because the questions, which are ridiculous in the first place, have been satisfied except for people like you.

I suspect you problem with him is because he is not white and his name is Barack Hussein Obama and not some traditional American (whatever that means).

The more conspiracy theorists talk the more I'm convinced this is all based on xenophobia.

Jason, I'm 1/2 Black. What you don't think black people have the same question? You probably think all blacks are democrats.

Most of the people I hear peddling this crap are white folks, and no, not all Democrats are black.

My point is that most of the people pushing this are doing so because they are scared of someone who is different than them.

Like I said, no substantive proof has been presented to prove otherwise, and the burden of proof is not on the president. I'd say he's done enough to prove his case.

And you are right, there is a certain element that are. "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch girl"

I don't care what they say. All I know is anytime the president has been asked or challenged to produce a personal record he has either fought it in court or has refused.

The one document or information that will conclusively prove it to be fact is at the Dept. of Health in Hawaii, not on the internet. I can be told to go to factcheck.org ten times a day, it is not the original data. Would you rather have an Original Van Gogh or a copy of one?

Legally the copy is legit. As I've already pointed out, it stands as "prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding."

When I got a copy of my birth certificate for a cruise last year, it seemed to work fine for customs. They didn't need to see the original.

How's this for conspiracy theory. Do you know who Cass Sunstein is? 18 months prior to the election he wrote a paper. You can read about it here. http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2010/01/15/sunstein

Please don't think Glenn Greenwald is some right wing political hack. Wiki him prior to reading his article.

How ironic is it that he wrote and wanted to implement this and is the presidents hopeful for the supreme court.

How ironic is it that right after the president was elected every kind of conspiracy broke out like wild fire. Is he a Muslim, did Ayers write the books, was he born in Hawaii on and on and on.

Jason if you don't think scams and hoaxes can't take root and last years, research Pilt Down Man.

Got to go now, I'll check back later, thanks for reporting.

While I'll agree that is ridiculous, it doesn't prove anything over than birthers are paranoid.

This has been a long and interesting discussion. There was something my dad always said and that is this: Where there is smoke there is usually a fire. I am not saying either way, but it is interesting.

Don't know if you have ever been to this site Jason but this just got posted about an hour ago. Food for thought.

http://www.therightsideoflife.com/2010/01/23/chrysler-bankruptcy-donofrio-defense-distracting-over-psychoanalyzed-birther-allegations/

Legally the copy is legit. As I've already pointed out, it stands as "prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding."

When I got a copy of my birth certificate for a cruise last year, it seemed to work fine for customs. They didn't need to see the original.

**************************

Jason you were taking a cruise not taking control of the country.

Again the question is this, The state of Hawaii has confirmed that they maintain the original vital statistics on file in accordance to state policy and procedures. What was put on the internet is not the original vital statistic. THE ONLY WAY to get rid of the conspiracy is to have TRANSPARENCY and show the ORIGINAL vital statistics.

Jason you were taking a cruise not taking control of the country.

It's the same legal standard! That's why your arguments are complete non-sense. There is no reason for Obama to bow to the demands of a few kooks.

OK only cause you say so.

I leave you with this from Gahndi.

Even if your in a minority of one, the truth is still the truth.

and the truth is, only the original vital statistics can end the speculation.

Remember it's United We Stand Divided We Fall.

Good Luck

"Even if your in a minority of one, the truth is still the truth.

and the truth is, only the original vital statistics can end the speculation."

This is technically true, but only if you're a birfer that doesn't understand the concept of "prima facie evidence." In other words, birfers are free to speculate as much as they want to, but those of us in the sane majority know that speculation about the state of Hawaii's role in the 48-year old conspiracy to install a biracial kenyan muslim communist fascists into the office of the presidency is...well, pretty damn stupid.

On that note, there's also speculation that the earth is flat, that Jesus and the disciples rode dinosaurs to the Last Supper, and that Batboy (of Weekly World News fame) was recently spotted in a cave in New Mexico. Speculate away!

I think a lot of the problem with this argument is that those who brought this up to begin with might not have realized that Hawaii had only been a State for a couple of years when Obama was born. I am sure that their early record keeping was far different from the other established states in the Union. The only thing speculation will bring is unusual comments that even might offend some others if not careful. The old saying think before opening mouth applies here.
"Opinions are filled in a multitude while truth centers itself quietly where it should."

I would like to know why Obama has spent over 2 million of his campaign dollars and now uses the Department of Justice as his own legal firm to keep from being transperent and releasing his original BC as well as other legal documents. HE IS HIDING SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are many “birthers” who aren’t even questioning whether or not Obama was born in Hawaii, and don’t care whether the long-form certificate is released or not.

There is no “conspiracy” theory, rather they are “originalists” or “Constitutionalists” in that they believe that the “natural born citizen” clause of Article 2 of the Constitution means a pure, naturally-attained citizenship, which would preclude dual citizenship.

Obama’s father was not an immigrant. He was never a US citizen. He was Kenyan and a British citizen, and Obama’s own Fight the Smears campaign website admitted that Obama junior was also a British citizen when he was born. He did not have “pure US Citizenship” at birth.

Without even going into the various documents and cases that support a definition of “natural born citizen” meaning born in the country to US citizen parents, it would be hard to imagine that the founding fathers would ever have thought that a British citizen (other than themselves, who actually fought in the Revolution, and were “grandfathered” in the clause in Article 2) would ever be allowed to hold the title of Commander in Chief. I imagine they are now rolling in their graves.

It is also interesting to note that those who questioned McCain’s natural born citizenship (because he was born in Panama, even though to two US citizen parents), were not labeled as “birthers.” Only those who question whether Obama, who although born on US soil, had a foreign father, lived abroad for a number of years, and perhaps traveled with a foreign passport, combined with the knowledge that we have never had a US President (knowingly, that is—Chester Arthur was recently discovered to be an exception), who was not “grandfathered” or born on US soil, to two parents who were US citizens at the time of his birth.

To label these “birthers” as extremists is quite a stretch. Personally, I would consider those who desire to closely follow the Constitution, “patriots.”

Obama mentioned in his book (that Bill Ayers wrote for him) that he had found his original Birth Certificate. OK, so why then did he campaign put a possibly photo shopped version of a certificate of birth on a website? WHAT is he hiding?

Because Obama has not provided an actual BC it means he is guilty of something. Unfortuately it will take down the Dem party, MSM and many others when the truth to include the fact that he is an illegal alien finally comes out.

Mr. Deal has also sponsored legislation that will make it necessary for anyone who runs for a public office to provide the proper documents. There are many state legislatures doing this also. Unless Obama submits his long form BC in 2012 he is/will be a one termer with a very blemished past as 49% of Americans now question his elegibility!