The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Don’t Touch My Birth Certificate Junk

Posted on | April 27, 2011 | 26 Comments

by Smitty

Ann Althouse:

You could criticize Obama for wasting our time by not just releasing the damned thing earlier. But he could have thought it was demeaning to have to do this, so I’m inclined to give him a pass.

No, really: if we are truly an egalitarian society, then there is no pass for public figures on such documents.
We’re talking about a piece of information from decades ago, so there is no physical security argument to make.
Just before the above quotation:

I’d say, the reason Obama did not release the long-form birth certificate before is that he thought it was to his advantage to allow other people to look bad or crazy in one way or another by going on in the birtherist mode. But there was a tipping point, as Trump got traction and polls showed huge numbers of American’s entertaining doubts. So, it was all political strategy.

Well, no kidding, Ann! The POTUS had a guitar, and he riffed that thing until the strings were all broken, then acquiesced. Thank you, BHO! Way to be the conciliator, and pursue healing and unity in the country!
In fact, as a fellow Christian, let me pile on a bit here about integrity. Integrity is a habit that must be systematically exercised. Truly Christian men go to ridiculous lengths to keep their integrity intact. Many I know will not meet privately with women not their wives, no matter how innocent the occasion. Contrast Billy Graham:

Scandal never touched his life. He managed the finances of his profession as few itinerant preachers have ever done. The Billy Graham Evangelical Association had a board of directors that oversaw the operations and paid their star evangelist a fixed monthly salary. Their books were regularly audited and were open to public inspection.

Why is it that we cannot have an equally impeccable president? We don’t demand such as voters.
Also, one must address a commenter on the earlier birth certificate post:

I don’t give a fig one way or the other, but 99+ percent of the media, and RS McCain, have gotten this wrong: this is a Certificate of Live Birth, not a birth certificate. The difference is important: a birth certificate tells where someone is born, a certificate of live birth means ‘here’s a baby that’s alive’ but does NOT establish where said baby was born.

Here I can extend some Sympathy For The President. “Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii” becomes a non-falsifiable proposition at some point (not to say that the commenter in question has gone there, though). No matter what BHO does, there is always going to be some tinfoil hat type out there, claiming that he Hasn’t Done Enough.
It’s great that the Constitutional crisis has been averted. Now, back to the TSA group-grope.

Update: linked by That Mr. G Guy.

Update II: also linked by Amused Cynic.

Category: Ann Althouse, Barack Obama

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