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Bad news for “birthers”, those people who think Barack Obama
isn’t legally president because he wasn’t born in the
Birthers may have briefly harbored hope – and people who think the whole idea is crazy as bat spit may have arched an eyebrow – about two weeks ago when the Eastern Washington Republican gave a wishy-washy answer to a question about Obama’s legal qualifications to a blogger from the Huffington Post while hurrying up the Capitol steps.
Asked if she thought Obama was a natural-born citizen, constitutionally permitted to be president, she replied: “We’re all going to find out.”
Asked what she believed personally, she said: “Oh, I’d like to see the documents.”
The video was up on YouTube, and many other Web sites, including the one for this column. It features other House Republicans giving ambiguous answers to questions of Obama’s citizenship qualifications, too, but McMorris Rodgers is second in the clip.
The birther issue came to the Inland Northwest last spring, when
Chief Justice John Roberts was asked about a court case regarding Obama’s birth
certificate during a visit to the
Some people in the movement regard Taitz as a cross between Paul Revere and Joan of Arc. Some outside the movement regard her as bonkers. Spin Control will only say that she can talk very fast, long and passionately about the whole thing, so don’t call her if you’re pressed for time.
The controversy thrived for months on the Internet, but most news
outlets ignored it until recently, apparently operating on the theory a claim Obama
was born in
With Congress out for August recess, McMorris Rodgers is back in
the district. Her first public events included meetings Wednesday in
Spin Control: Do you have any doubts that Barack Obama is a citizen
of the
McMorris Rodgers: I have looked into it further. There’s a reality that it’s been in the courts, the courts have ruled that he is indeed a legal citizen, born in the country and I think it’s a non-issue.
SC: Should Congress take up the issue?
McM R: No. Absolutely not. The people elected him president, the courts have looked at the issue. It’s settled. We need to move on.
When she told the Huffington Post “we’re going to find out,” she added, she meant she was trying to get some information herself, not that Congress needed to look into it. She hasn’t seen the pictures of Obama’s certification of live birth on the Internet – which birthers say doesn’t prove anything, anyway – but she does know his birth was reported in the Honolulu newspapers back in 1961 and thinks it’s legitimate.
And she’s received “quite a bit” of blowback from constituents over her appearance on the Huffington Post video.
She isn’t signing on to what some have called the “birther bill” which requires all presidential candidates to produce a birth certificate to prove they are natural-born citizens.
H.R. 1503, drafted by Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., isn’t going anywhere, anyway, being as it has 10 Republican co-sponsors in a Democrat controlled House. Because, after all, the fix is in and Democrats don’t want their president knocked out of office by anything that could, you know, expose the truth.
If you’re dying to read more about the birth certificate controversy, or see what other readers have to say, here’s some of Spin Control’s previous coverage:
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol/2009/mar/22/lots-interest-birth-certificate/#c25194
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol/2009/jul/22/weds-video-matthews-obama-birth-certificate/
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol/2009/jul/23/thurs-fun-video-stewart-birth-cert-story/
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/spincontrol/2009/jul/23/hedley-tweets-birthers/
Jim Camden is a veteran political reporter for The Spokesman-Review.
Jonathan Brunt covers Spokane City Hall for The Spokesman-Review.
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Diana on August 16 at 5:37 p.m.
Cathy McMorris-Rodgers thinks Obama is a citizen, reads your headline. Where did you get that from what she said? It sounds to me like she is doubtful.
George_Sands on August 16 at 11:41 p.m.
McMorris still thinks Randy Cunningham is innocent. A loon from a loonie lake.
jimc on August 17 at 10:43 a.m.
Diana
I think it would be fair to say she had enough doubts initially, which led to her doing some research. But it seems clear to me that while she’s assigning some of the decision-making authority to the courts and the voters in some respects, she says on the tape that the birth announcement in the Honolulu Advertiser is legitimate, which to me means she thinks he was born in Hawaii and thus a citizen.
Jim Camden/Spin Control
Diana on August 17 at 4:48 p.m.
Jim, the fact that I think Ms. McMorris-Rodgers is an idiot notwithstanding, how did she think Mr. Obama got a top level security clearance when he was on the Senate Homeland Security Committee if there were doubts about his citizenship?
Rhetorical question.
dar180 on August 18 at 6:17 p.m.
You need to take the “Control” out of you Spincontrol Title since the article clearly had nothing but Spin to it. You imply President Obama isn’t a citizen, with no real proof other than wishful thinking. Try googling his birth certificate and birth announcement, it’s very easy. There isn’t good journalism left, just a fall back to the old yellow journalism of decades past.
Gary D Rhodes on August 21 at 8:54 a.m.
<there’s a=”” reality=”” that=”” it’s=”” been=”” in=”” the=”” courts,=”” the=”” courts=”” have=”” ruled=”” that=”” he=”” is=”” indeed=”” a=”” legal=”” citizen,=”” born=”” in=”” the=”” country=”” and=”” i=”” think=”” it’s=”” a=”“ non-issue.=”“>
This shows McMorris’ dearth of knowledge as no court has looked into the facts and documentation that would prove he is eligible.
Getting security clearance doesn’t prove one way or the other if Obama is ‘natural born’, which is the question.
Rifleman_Dodd on August 21 at 10:13 a.m.
Mr. Rhodes, I beg to differ on your take of the security clearance.
A clearance is just the adjudication of the security investigation behind it.
Even a NAC (National Agency Check) for confidential requires a birth certificate review. A Secret clearance more, and the SBI/EBI Special Background Investigations/Extended Background Investigations go even further for Top Secret and SI/Compartmented clearances.
Foreign Nationals (i.e. those not born in the U.S. or a Citizen) almost cannot get any kind of security clearance. Those actually do require almost an act of Congress.
Gary D Rhodes on August 21 at 11:27 p.m.
So is he natural born?
nslopeofw on August 22 at 12:54 a.m.
Yes, that is the question, isn’t it. The libs want to confuse the situation, by proving he was born in Hawaii, which has NOTHING to do with “natural born”. The question is whether his father was a British citizen, which would make him one as well. If he was born a Briton, then he is not a “natural born” US citizen. This status is REQUIRED to be president of the USA. The libs go on and on about “birthers”, as a way to avoid the real issue of NATURAL BORN! From all i’ve read, he isn’t natural born, therefore, illegally sitting in the POTUS position.
And, it isn’t all that much more tough for non-US citizens to get high clearance than a citizen. Remember the Clinton years. Plus, you know Henry Kissenger had VERY HIGH clearance.