Obama was not born in the U.S.; case closed

posted at 12:06 pm on November 16, 2011 by Howard Portnoy
[ Double Standards ]   

I was never a believer in the birther conspiracy, and it is not my purpose here to rekindle the debate about the president’s place of birth. Rather it is to point out that Obama openly acknowledged this week that he is not a natural-born citizen of the United States, which should put the dispute to rest once and for all.

The official pronouncement came at the APEC Summit in Hawaii, America’s 57th state. During a news conference captured on video (cue 35:17), he made the following observation:

When I meet with world leaders, whether it is in Europe or here in Asia, the kinds of fundamental reforms and changes [they need to effect] are so much more significant than what we need to do to get our books in order. [Emphasis added]

Turning serious, I’m not sure what prompted Obama to mistake the state he was born in as being in Asia. One factor noted by some commentators is that he was working without his beloved teleprompter (note his struggle to articulate his thoughts in the video clip).

The bottom line, however, is that presidential flubs are a dime a dozen. That is because of all presidents are mere mortals, a fact that must come hard for those who once viewed Obama as larger than life (which includes Obama himself).

It would be well if we could remember this going forward. Should anyone need a “booster shot,” a tidy summary of Obama then and now can be found here.

Related Articles

• Obama has delivered ‘change that we believed in’ (says Obama)
• Obama’s latest gaffe: We’re the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad
• Where’s Weirdo: Obama’s very special photo op
• Truthers and Birthers: Meet the Racers (Video)
• Barack Obama: “funniest person alive”
• Remember when Obama was too cool to joke about?
• Obama’s claim about the press’s fixation on birther debate is false
• Is Obama’s birth certificate a fake? Let the games begin
• Speaking on birtherism, Obama dumps on press; calls Trump a “carnival barker”
• White House releases Obama’s long-form birth certificate

Blowback