The long, strange saga of the Obama Citizenship "Deception"
There's a good article in Slate by an associate editor of Reason about the whole imbroglio.
How did the citizenship rumor get started? Ironically, it began when the Obama campaign tried to debunk some other conspiracies. After Obama locked up the nomination in early June, low-level talk radio and blog chatter peddled rumors that Obama's real middle name was Muhammad, that his father was not really Barack Obama, and that he was not really born in Hawaii. The campaign released a facsimile of Obama's certificate of live birth. Requested from the state in 2007, the certificate reported that Obama was, indeed, born in Honolulu at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961.
The certificate was a bullet that didn't put down the horse.
Somehow, it does not surprise me that Joseph "Black Mustache" Farah of World Net Daily (otherwise known as Whirled Nut Daily) is pushing this muddle. A self-aggrandizing sensationalist with delusions of relevancy, he'll jump on any train if he thinks it'll get him more readers.
What is surprising, however, is to see David Horowitz continue to throw out invective against the people behind this "deception," and tell them to shut up. Why, just the other day, he called Alan Keyes an "unhinged demagogue" - a genuine case of the black calling the kettle pot!
Horowitz continues to get the right conclusion for the wrong reasons, though. If it turns out Obama isn't eligible, then it doesn't matter what the voters thought. They were duped, and he should not be allowed to serve - end of story. But the chances of his being declared ineligible are slim to none, and I don't expect the Supreme Court will seriously consider the case before them.
The scary thing is that, even if the courts fail to challenge Obama's Presidency, at least one of the legal warriors is going to post a legal challenge to everything he does, on the grounds that he's not the legitimate President. Is this karmic payback for those who claimed Bush stole the election, or just sheer lunacy?
How did the citizenship rumor get started? Ironically, it began when the Obama campaign tried to debunk some other conspiracies. After Obama locked up the nomination in early June, low-level talk radio and blog chatter peddled rumors that Obama's real middle name was Muhammad, that his father was not really Barack Obama, and that he was not really born in Hawaii. The campaign released a facsimile of Obama's certificate of live birth. Requested from the state in 2007, the certificate reported that Obama was, indeed, born in Honolulu at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961.
The certificate was a bullet that didn't put down the horse.
Somehow, it does not surprise me that Joseph "Black Mustache" Farah of World Net Daily (otherwise known as Whirled Nut Daily) is pushing this muddle. A self-aggrandizing sensationalist with delusions of relevancy, he'll jump on any train if he thinks it'll get him more readers.
What is surprising, however, is to see David Horowitz continue to throw out invective against the people behind this "deception," and tell them to shut up. Why, just the other day, he called Alan Keyes an "unhinged demagogue" - a genuine case of the black calling the kettle pot!
Horowitz continues to get the right conclusion for the wrong reasons, though. If it turns out Obama isn't eligible, then it doesn't matter what the voters thought. They were duped, and he should not be allowed to serve - end of story. But the chances of his being declared ineligible are slim to none, and I don't expect the Supreme Court will seriously consider the case before them.
The scary thing is that, even if the courts fail to challenge Obama's Presidency, at least one of the legal warriors is going to post a legal challenge to everything he does, on the grounds that he's not the legitimate President. Is this karmic payback for those who claimed Bush stole the election, or just sheer lunacy?
posted by J. Edward Tremlett at 6:56 PM
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