Affording these comments the sort of attention that ought to be reserved for important issues like the economy or national security, while Perry seems to laugh the subject off, makes the media appear petty, humorless and a bit ridiculous (by the way the reference to Obama showing his grades is a more serious and legitimate issue to raise with Perry than the birth certificate). By constantly revisiting the birther issue, the media not Perry, affords this non-issue the sort of credibility it never deserved. A CNN reporter later followed up asking what it will take to “convince” Perry “that the President was born in this country?” At this point, Perry was right to avoid continuing the “distraction” by shooting down the reporter’s question.

In his “keeping them honest” segment last night Anderson Cooper claimed “its a distraction that the Governor himself revived for no apparent reason.” No, Perry didn’t revive it. Cooper and the rest of the media did. Sure, Perry isn’t helping the situation, but it’s time for those who find it so outrageous to start taking the lead from Perry and even Trump and accept that, at this point, it is just a “distractive issue.”