I want to direct your attention to a blog entry by Doug Geivett, found here. I always enjoy Dr. Geivett, and that didn’t change here. He brought up a point that has troubled me for quite a while. If I had to break it down into one sentence it’s this, “Why not show your birth certificate, Mr. President?”
As Geivett points out, the term “birther” has become basically a verbal bludgeon meant to shut down conversation. (Not like this is unique… how rare is it to see a mature discussion that isn’t shut down with name-calling as substitution for argument?) I don’t read most of the partisan political websites (but politics does spill over often onto the sites I do read, as well as into the comments on news stories, though). I also don’t have television, and rarely listen to talk radio. This is by design and wasn’t always this way. Hence, I am always a few minutes behind on things of this sort. And it’s on this issue that it’s just troublesome that there hasn’t been (to my knowledge) and real questions of the president about this. (Maybe because he’s rarely open to cross-examination. You can’t ask questions of a teleprompter.)
Do I think President Obama is legally president? Yes. Am I concerned that someone ineligible for the position is filling it? No. I suppose it’s possible, but I’m just not persuaded. Frankly, I don’t really care to dig that deeply into it. But why in the world will he not just produce it? I see 2 options.
There isn’t one and he’s trying to hide it. As said above, I don’t buy this. I’m not persuaded by conspiracy theories, and woah!, wouldn’t it take more than a sealed envelope to pull this off? Certainly this stuff does get checked somewhere, right? Who knows?
He enjoys watching some of his political detractors being ridiculed or laughed at. And this is where I lean. Why in the world, if you have a document verifying you’re eligible to be president would you a) not release it just because the nature of the position of president, and b) to ease at least one tension that continues to get decent coverage in headlines? Isn’t withholding this playing petty politics? Can’t that leverage be sacrificed for the collective unity of the nation?
There’s far too much name-calling already. Can’t the “Great Uniter” just do a little uniting? Why not make this gesture and show good will toward his political opponents? Such politicking is unfitting the office.
I want him to produce it to make this pointless bickering go away. Why won’t he? I just don’t get it.
