Across The Pond | DW-WORLD

05.12.2008


Obama's Citizenship, A Topic For The Supreme Court?

It is unimaginable. What if the Supreme Court decides that President-elect Barack Obama can't become President of the United States after all because he doesn't fulfill the requirement of having been born in the U.S.? A suit, to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, claims that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. and therefore can't become president.

While it is an entertaining what-if game, experts find it very unlikely that the case ever will be brought before the Supreme Court.

The Blog House by the Star Tribune thinks if Obama's Haiwaiian birth certificate is forged, as alleged in the suit, then "a U.S. senator and his presidential campaign have perpetrated a vast, long-term fraud. They have done it with conspiring officials at the Hawaii Department of Health, the Cook County (Ill.) Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Illinois Secretary of States office, the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois and many other government agencies. Sounds like a Vince Flynn novel."

I concur. The authenticity of Obama's birth certificate had already been a topic in the campaign and has been refuted convincingly. Here are again the links to Factcheck.org and Politifact.com who covered the issue in great detail.

For a review of what other bloggers have to say about the issue check out the Daily Intel.

Update: Readers commenting that the current case doesn't claim that Obama was born on foreign soil are correct. The claim in the current case is that Obama was a British citizen at birth. Thanks.

Michael Knigge 05.12.2008, 20:50	#	53 Comments
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53 Comments

	I think everybody needs to quit hating on OUR president. Only because he is a black man, is this screwed up country trying to discredit him. If it were a white man it wouldn't matter if he was from IRAQ. That just shows you this whole country is full of closet klans-men, and I hate it. I hate them!!! Yes I hold some prejudice in my heart, because as a young black man, I am still looked at by most as a n**. It was really brought to light starting the day after the election. I sell cars, but I see now the white customers don't talk to me anymore (EVEN THE ONES I HAVE SOLD MANY CARS TO IN THE PAST). Just give the man a break. He won the election; this country really needs a change to move forward anyway. LIVE WITH IT!!! There is no way it can be worse than the previous ah* we had in office. He single handedly screwed up the entire country (ECONOMY AND ALL). Just RELAX; It will be okay, WE DON'T WANT YOUR COUNTRY. We know you all are scared, but don't fear we are a lot more fair than you all are. WE KNOW YOU ALL WISH WE COULD JUST GO BACK TO AFRICA, BUT WE CAN'T THIS IS OUR COUNTRY TOO (WISH YOUR ANCESTORS WOULD NOT HAVE PUT OUR BLACK A*S ON THAT BOAT NOW HA! HA! HA!)!! WE JUST WANT THE "EQUAL OPPORTUNITY" THAT WE WERE BEEN SUUPOSED TO HAVE, AND FINALLY WE SEE SOME OF IT COME TO BE!! I assure you it will be okay just him do his thing!!!!! OBAMA FOR MANKIND!!! GET OVER IT HATERS!!!
	PELLA \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 18.12.2008, 19:36

	Do not forget! It was the "rednecks" that gave birth to the United States of America by their courage and individualism.The founders wrote the words Natural Born Citizen for a REASON. It was a firewall protection against foreign encroachment in the highest office.They were paranoid about this for good reason but in todays environment,even after multiple terrorist attacks against western civilization the masses laugh and side with the treasonists and internationalists that control all western governments.Those who side with Nationalism are "REDNECKS" and "conspiracy theorists"meanwhile the evidence of Muslim infiltration in Europe and increasingly America is ignored to GREAT PERIL ahead!
	Liz \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 12.12.2008, 17:17

	Let's put our efforts and prayers towards the electoral process coming up........ All this proves is that the SC is in on this sham election.
	notoveryet \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 08.12.2008, 16:15

	Think in practical terms. The laws of the UK could say every American is a British citizen if its government so decided. So could every other country's laws. All that matters is whether someone is a natural born US citizen according to US law. This is all so obvious I can't believe I am posting it.
	Cindy \| Homepage \| 08.12.2008, 14:44

	Well, for a those who don't believe in the impossible, look it here an illegal alien ruling. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Don't under estimate the power of aliens.
	olson \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 08.12.2008, 05:30

	Obama may or may not be a natural born citizen. His COLB is not sufficient proof of whether he was born in America. He could be simply registered in Hawaii in without a doctor or witness to verify his birth.. The only way to know for sure would be to examine his original BC, his parent’s passports and his passports. Also he may have retained citizenship with Kenya after his 21 birthday by continuing to travel on a Kenyan or Indonesian passport which would make him a dual-citizen today. I would like to know the truth. I think these aspects about Obama have been kept secret from the American people - and in my mind - invalidating the election. If the president of the US has foreign allegiances or maintains secrets about his life, HE CAN BE BLACKMAILED!!!!!! Yes he can be blackmailed if he is hiding any of these facts about his life. BY WHO? Well - if there are records in Kenya of his birth - then someone in Kenya could blackmail him. If there are records in the U.S then the FBI, the CIA or any of a number of agencies could access these records and blackmail him. We do not need a president - who can be blackmailed. The press did not do their Job. The election officials did not do their job (and verify where he was really born). Everyone reading this who has concerns should write to your congressman write to your Secretary of State for your state. Demand that they properly investigate this mans eligibility to hold office.
	jasper \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 08.12.2008, 05:02

	Somebody needs to start a list of these yahoos and in 3 and a half years demand an apology as the sky will not have fallen and Obama will not have ruined the country...that is the funny thing about how this has all progressed election after election..its now down to the otherside is satan and the world will end tomorrow if you vote for him (oh, and if you vote for him, maybe we can overturn the election). Does anybody doubt that Hillary Clinton would win but for Obama??? here's hoping you all collectively burst a blood vessel and bleed out
	tired critique \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 08.12.2008, 04:42

	"Donofrio says that Obama could have been born on the Mall of DC, given a golden Birth Cert. and had a million witnesses...it still wouldn't be enough to make him a natural born citizen as is required by the Constitution." Donofrio is wrong. Andrew Jackson was born in the US, but both of his parents immigrated from Ireland two years before his birth and weren't even naturalized US citizens when Andrew was born. He served two terms, and his "natural born citizenship" was never a question. In terms of precedent, Obama was natural born just as Jackson was. The Supreme Court would have a really hard time arguing that Obama is not "natural born" when he was born in the US to a natural born US mother, while Jackson served two terms born in the US to Irish immigrants.
	Kirk \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 23:17

	Whatever, go ahead and call names. If you make the constitution null and void then you get what you deserve. Think Hugo Chavez with good country to ruin.
	whatever \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 22:05

	The Certificate of Live Birth is not a Birth Certificate, it's an abstract. You can't show it as proof of citizenship to get a job. They won't accept it to register a child for school. They won't even accept it to register a child for Little League Baseball. Bottom line, it's a worthless piece of paper. Sooner or later, the truth of Obama's birth will come out. What will happen then? Will there be riots in the streets? Will the country fall into an all out civil war? Mr. Obama please try to avert a Constitutional Crisis, and just show us your birth certificate.
	Steve \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 20:23

	The article is typical of the Obama Propaganda mill. The "Birth Certificate" posted by the Obama camp is nothing of the sort, even if it was genuine. It is merely a registration of birth. It is what would be issued if someone had a child delivered on a ship en route to Hawaii, or born at home, or some other circumstance where the birth did not occur in a Hawaiian hospital, attended by and attested to by a doctor on a "Long Form" birth certificate. It in NO WAY proves he was born in Hawaii. All Obama has to do is produce his long form birth certificate and all this goes away. Instead he has 3 entire law firms, not lawyers but armies of lawyers fighting the production. The only reasonable conclusion is that it contains something he very desperately does not want seen. However, we the people have a right to KNOW that our President is Constitutionally eligible to serve, and is not a usurper who perjured himself upon taking the oath of office.
	Stan Kurzet \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 17:58

	Everyone is wrong. It's not just that his dad was born overseas, it's that he was born in Kenya while it was under British law, and under British law, the son took on the citizenship of his father. Therefore Barack has dual citizenship and is not a natural born citizen of the Unites States, which is a requirement for being POTUS. Those are the hard cold facts. No Spin. Thanks for leading our country into a Constitutional crisis, Mr. Obama. I guess you were right when you said things are going to change.
	Ryan \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 10:12

	PoliCana, First of all when McCain was born Panama was a territory of the United States. It was not given away until Jimmy Carter was president years after the Vietnam War. Secondly, McCain was born both United States citizens. His father was a military officer. McCain was born in a military hospital of a military base. Military bases are considered to be US soil. However, Panama was a US territory at the time so the case is mute. Besides McCain immediately addressed this and allowed his birth certificate and medical records to be inspected. Obama has brought this on himself if he has a valid birth certificate he needs to show it to the courts. Instead he has paid 3 law FIRMS thousands of dollars to continue to not make his records public. What he had posted to his website and what was posted on factcheck.org was a Certificate of Live Birth not a Birth Certificate. Although, the case before the court is not debating the particulars about where he was born but Obama's own admission he had dual citizenship. That alone makes him not a natural born citizen and therefore ineligible to be POTUS
	Kitty \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 07:16

	It seems every time one of the Dems' issues or candidates loses, they go to court to have the judicial branch give them their way. They are always justified in doing so. When the republicans go to the courts, it must be that they are racists. When Reps ultimately lose an issue, they rant a little and then go home with their tale between their legs. There is growing concern that if Obama is not allowed to assume office as POTUS, regardless of legality, massive riots may well occur. I hope this doesn't happen, for the United States isn't a third world country, not yet anyway.
	WJS \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 04:13

	"The extreme "righties" are mostly racist rednecks who sometimes where white collars. Their "conservative" movement has put this economy and this world in dire straits and Obama just might be able to inspire most of us enough to pull ourselves up by the "bootstraps" and come out of this 2nd Great Depression." Hmm...were the people (like me) who refused to vote for Kerry or Gore also racist??? We vote based on content of character, not color of skin. And we refuse to vote for Marxists. Stay on-topic, stop repeating the CNBC talking points. The issue is Pres. Elect Obabma's Birth Certificate. Are you saying that it is more important to you that THIS GUY be the next President that the CONSTITUTION be adhered to??? Better stated...on the off chance that Pres. Elect Obama is NOT eligible, do you still want him as President? Assuming yes...that means you don't adhere to the Constitution if I read things correctly, yes? Please forgive me for also blowing off your total opinion if that is the case. This is what us "redneck racists" (your term) talk about when we quote the old term "Nation of LAWS not of men." Get it??? Nowhere in there did I mention race being a consideration. Time to retire the race card.
	Dave \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 04:01

	Wingnuts, keep spending time and effort on this. Please. Meanwhile, we'll be able to ignore you and get on with fixing the country from the mess you and Bush have left us.
	Andrew \| Homepage \| 07.12.2008, 03:42

	Funny - these conspiracy nuts would like for you to believe that they are just trying to uphold the Constitution, when in reality they are just sore losers that would do anything to keep Obama out of office, and keep a cloud of suspicion hanging over his head. If Obama did produce his original birth certificate, whose opinion would you nuts trust to be objective in the examination of it? The circus that would turn into would be exactly what you guys wanted in the first place - some people saying it's real, others saying it's not, kind of like what we have now, right? So no, Obama should not release his original - it would only be stooping to play the stupid game these idiots are playing, and no conspiracy nuts would be satisfied. I honestly doubt the majority of them believe their own nonsense, they just hope that others will believe it if they keep repeating it over and over. Just a recap: Bigfoot does not exist. People are not abducted by aliens. 9/11 was not an inside job. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the U.S. Get over it, and get a life.
	Mike \| Homepage \| 07.12.2008, 01:32

	Some will always question it's authenticity, even if (or I should say, when) it is proven to be real by forensic scientists and the best lawyers in the united states. You can fake anything these days. It does not matter how real Obama's birth certificate is. Ancient works of art have be shown to be fakes. People who are looking for an "out" from their obvious loss, will believe what they want to believe. All this proves is that some cannot overcome their cognitive dissonance over the fact that Barrack Hussein Obama is the President elect of the United States and their guy got pummled in the election. Lost bad. If this were McCain, the republicans would not even be talking about this. They would be the ones calling "sour-grapes." You know it, and if you deny that; you're full of it. Contrary to what certain people say, it doesn't even matter to these people if Obama is a citizen or not. you betcha'.
	Morgan \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 07.12.2008, 00:25

	The issue here, is why are we looking at a reproduction of an original; rather than a copy of the original? With no supporting hospital records, and contradictory statements about where he was born, it seems to be that to put the whole issue to rest; it would be prudent for the State of Hawaii to release a copy of the original birth certificate.
	David \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 20:09

	Whoa Jack, That isn't how it works. BO doesn't have to show you jack, Jack. YOU provide evidence that he's NOT legit; and I mean evidence--not innuendo, not opinion, not sorry apples over a lost election. He doesn't have to prove anything to you. The responsibility is on you and your ilk.
	skeptic \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 19:49

	The Supreme court should throw this out and say enough. But, since they are mostly conservatives they will give it much more attention than is due as they have on everything in the past. The days of politics and justice being separate are long gone.
	katiec \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 19:37

	If the people "preaching" the constitution were objective about it, they would agree that Bush/Cheney should be heading straight to jail on Jan. 21st.
	CK \| Homepage \| 06.12.2008, 18:17

	I does not matter. His biological mother is a US citizen, so he IS a US citizen, no matter where he was born. The Amercuan right wing has always been a bunch of sore losers...
	Gene \| Homepage \| 06.12.2008, 17:59

	1) The evidence: a) Obama's COLB posted on his FIGHT THE SMEARS website was clearly altered. b) Kenya had a headline when Obama was first nominated noting he was borhn there. c) Obama's Grandmother said she witnessed his birth in Kenya. d) Obama's mother desperately wanted to get to America for Obama's birth, but the airline would not let her fly. e) Hawaii allowed births at the time to be registered by the parent, and the grouping of birth notices in the Hawaian papers included dates five days later, so she had time to fly back aftger the delivery and regiaster in time. f) The argumment that she did not know he would be running for president doens't hold water - parents want their children to have the natural born citizen status. Since the visit to Kenya did not go well with the Obamas, this would be further protection for her son later. g) When she remarried and Obama moved to Indonesia, a prerequisite of going to the school he attended was being an Indonesian Citizen, which would happen as his dad was listed as Sotero. There was NO dual citizenship, so even IF Obama had been a citizen, he lost it at that point in time. h) Obama traveled to Pakistan, which was permitted at the time by US Citizens. He MUST have had an INDONESIAN passport. 2) Mr. Obama has made no secret that he doesn't view the constitution as a static, but a living document. (He TAUGHT Constitutional Law and knows its contents, what he likes and doesn't like). Therefore, original intent doesn't matter, and the constitution is merely a guiding principle that should be interpreted in light of the needs of the moment. 3) Therefore, since we have absorbed so many illegals and give them the rights of American citizens even including social security (and the right to vote just you watch), why on earth would the most welcoming nation on earth refuse the opportunity for an illegal alien to be president? It just isn't FAIR, and isn't FAIRNESS what America is all about? So they think. 4) If one can manage to stonewall enough to get nominated and then win, who is going to risk a riot by declaring him unqualified? Possession is nine-tenths of the law, and we ARE talking a LAWYER here. 5) In the case before a COMMITTEE of the SUpreme Court today, the charge is that he did NOT provide proof of citizenship as required and DE FACTO admitted he was not. The Supreme Court was under fire for doing the right thing in 2000, and may be wary of another involvement, though mandated legally, for the political fallout, even if Obama somehow is found to qualify. 6) I believe Obama's refusal to provide what is required to play Little League, Soccer, Basketball, or even attend school says it all. It must be murky to some degree or he wouldn't have a battery of lawyers stonewalling. He doubtless believes that the incredible naivety of the American populace who believed every myth and ignored every mile-wide red flag on the man will clamor to ignore some "irrelevancy" in the constitution. If he is the slightest successful, he will doubtless use the same ploy to ignore the two term limit in the constitution, and argue that he should be President for Life. Sound familiar? All these ego-invested guys think the same, and a fawning populace keeps the fraud going. As to Jon's post - I'll ignore "Jon's" spelling and grammatical errors but I will not let parroting of drivel go unchallenged. 1) You cannot be the most popular president in history before taking office. 2) George H.W. Bush (#41) has a 92% approval rating during parts of Desert Storm, an approval rating that totally dwarf's Obama's positive opinion pollS, AND STILL LOST reelection to Bill Clinton. 3) LIKE MOST OBAMATONS, Jon doesn't know "Jack" about facts. For the last six years of Clinton and the first six years of Bush #43, our economy was quite good. Lower unemployment than forever, and great numbers all around. The FIRST TWO YEARS of Clinton, and the LAST TWO YEARS WERE MISERABLE, and what they had in common was that the DEMOCRATS controlled our financial arm, BOTH BOUSES OF CONGRESS! A vote for Obama was a vote for the failed Democratic policies that were directly responsible for the meltdown! The inept McCain let Obama lie about he last eight years, and civics-challenged Americans actually believed him! 4) Conservatives are hardly "racist rednecks". ALL the racist talk came from Obama's pals - Wright, Farrakhan, etc. People who work hard for a living of all stripes are who help out nation. Those who don't bring it down. Conservatives are the "MAINSTREAM" of America. Some are just laden down with sins and vote the easy way. 5) Wall Street gave over double to Obama than to McCain, so why not put that blame where it lies? 6) The terrorists attacked us, and President Bush simply did what he had to do. The results proved he was right. Clinton's laissez-faire policy was a disaster with repeated attacks and the disastrous loss in Somalia. John (for real)
	John \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 17:42

	I wish you guys would just attempt to get it right. It is about his admitted DUAL citizenship, that he has on his own site plus Factcheck also covers this. Instead of asking why we want to see his full records...... You should be asking why he has three law firms PROTECTING his BC and documents; at a cost of over $500,000...
	Jack \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 14:59

	Hawaiin officials have never attested to what the certificate they have in their possesion says. They've only said, "Yup, that's a genuine birth certificate."
	Cal \| Homepage \| 06.12.2008, 14:40

	There are no signatures and no listing of the hospital and attending nurses. I could fake that piece of toilet paper in a day. Where is the doctor's name for heaven's sake? Why did Obama bin Laden's grandmother swear that she was present at the delivery, and she never left Kenya in her life? The typed piece of paper, embossed can be entirely fake. Where is the forensic study of even the paper and the ink. Just some clowns saying that they have touched the shroud of Obama, and it is indeed a piece of paper. What utter unprofessional drivel from Factcheck.org and Politfact.com.
	Michael Gaff \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 14:13

	good explanation. so much of the crapola from Hawaii, Snopes, FactCheck, Obama and DNC, actually critiqued, one at a time, and laid out in simple language. This sums it all up. If you will be objective, and read each point, see how it has been handled, what was said, and what that really means, you will see Obama has a very big problem. This is the read that puts it all together Small Price to Pay for Unity (soon to be censored by Google news) "Is Barack Obama a U.S. citizen?" ... Click the following link to view the full article: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-156768?ref=email
	zeb431 \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 11:58

	The Hawaiian officials have only said they have Obama's certificate on file. However, they do not say exactly WHAT the certificate says. They do NOT say that he was born in Hawaii. As for the Secretary of State vetting a candidate it is interesting to note (and I personally found this out by inquiring) that the Illinois Secretary of State does NOT do that. Apparently, the Illinois Board of Elections has that responsibility. However, after speaking to that agency, I was informed that they do NOT "vet" any candidate. Rather, they only check into a candidate if something questionable is presented to them and there is a time element involved, too. In addition, I was told that ultimately it is the political party's responsibility to properly "vet" any candidate. This begs the question as to why Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, suddenly stepped down just six days after the November 4th election. Could it be that he was content to not check out Mr. Obama, or look to other way, because he knew they had a winner? Could it be that in surrendering his post as Chairman, he therefore could not be held accountable for any questionable actions? New York Senator Chuck Schumer commented that Barack Obama would be president upon hearing him deliver the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. It is most probable that Hillary Clinton was never considered a viable candidate by the party. As for the The Bureau of Vital Statistics/Health Department all one needs is Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) which, in Hawaii, does not mean that that the person was born in Hawaii. This is an exerpt from the Hawaii Department of Health Website: "Amended certificates of birth may be prepared and filed with the Department of Health, as provided by law, for 1) a person born in Hawaii who already has a birth certificate filed with the Department of Health or 2) A PERSON BORN IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. The only Illinois state office that matters in vetting a political candidate is the State Board of Elections. No other state agency takes on that responsibility. This is per the Illinois Secretary of State and the Illinois Board of Elections offices.
	Chris \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 05:41

	To those who supported and voted for Obama, I say a heartfelt congratulations. Truly. It was an historic day for all Americans. I did not vote for Obama, but he is my President Elect, and I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, this cloud hanging over his eligibility is making that hard to do. Defending and upholding the Constitution is more important than "unity" and more important than any one personality. The Constitution is absolutely central to our form of government. It is the supreme law of the land. If we begin to ignore the black letter text of the Constitution, then it soon ceases to be a constitution and we are on a slippery slope towards tyranny. Some may say we have already started down that slope, but at least up til now there have been arguments presented (even if poor arguments) that at least attempt to address the Constitutional issues and leave the formal authority of the Constitution intact. Just ignoring it is not acceptable. I just want the Supreme Court to hear the case to show that at least somebody gives a care about the Constitution. They don't even have to necessarily declare Obama eligible/ineligible. I just want the facts and the law on this issue out there for all to see. There needs to be a clear independent determination of the facts and a clear independent determination of the law defining "natural born citizen". Even if the Supreme Court doesn't want to inject itself into a presidential race, it at least needs to be a clearinghouse of the facts and law. Then on Dec 15 trust the Electoral College to do their duty, as they are also sworn to uphold the Constitution. Both of these bodies have a rendezvous with duty. May they rise to the occasion and not shrink. I suspect that Obama himself does not believe he meets the qualifications of "natural born citizen", otherwise he would have cooperated by now. Some point out that he has already released his "birth certificate" on his website. But the posting of a short-form Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) on his website does not suffice, because that same COLB certificate is given to those of foreign birth who just register their foreign birth with Hawaii. Why does he not just allow his long-form birth certificate (e.g. showing hospital, doctor, etc) to be released. I also find it very revealing that Hawaiian officials will not say he was born in Hawaii; they just say they have seen his birth certificate. That's a very odd parsing of words when the direct question was whether he was actually born in Hawaii. Maybe he was born in Kenya and according to law he could still be considered a natural born citizen. I would be okay with that. Just let the facts and the law be aired. Let the chips fall where they may. Our constitutional republic can withstand the truth faced squarely. But we would not be able to withstand just sweeping aside the Constitution for "unity". If we do so, we will have neither. We know that the Supreme Court did not issue of Writ of Certiorari today. They could still take it up next week. May all freedom-loving and Constitution-loving Americans pray this weekend that the Supreme Court will muster the courage to do their duty and hear the facts and law on this prior to the Electoral College meeting on 15 Dec. "We here highly resolve... that government of the People, by the People, and for the People shall not perish from the earth."
	SonAmerica \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 04:48

	Actually many people, without checking anything out, have assumed that the Certification of Live Birth for Obama made public is a Certificate of Birth and therefore is proof of citizenship. This assumption is erroneous. According to the Hawaiian authorities, one does not have to be a citizen to get a COLB. One can take a foreign birth certificate in and apply and obtain a COLB in Hawaii. It is simply what it states - a certification of a birth certificate (Beglaubigung) - not a certificate of birth. You can read up on the Hawaiian procedures on the Internet. Philip Berg, one of the attorneys who has filed suit, has obtained a certificate of birth for Obama from Coastal Hospital in Mombasa, Kenya, along with three affidavits of witnesses who state that they were present at the birth. There is a further issue. Obama was adopted by Lolo Soetoro of Indonesia, when Mr. Soetoro married Obama's mother. Obama became an Indonesian citizen, which is what his Indonesian records state. He used his Indonesian passport well into his twenties. His college records reportedly state that he is a foreign national. Obama has not presented any papers that he regained US citizenship or provided any proof that he is currently a citizen. Obama's failure to address these matters and present the normal documentary evidence has created the current legal situation. Furthermore, by law the Democratic National Committee, the Senate, etc. are all required as a matter of due diligence is ascertain citizenship of prospective candidates. Apparently the DNC did not do the due diligence. Another Democratic candidate who has run for office several times states that he has never been asked by the DNC about his citizenship = failure to do due diligence. Apparently the political system is acting like a computer with no passwords and no security features. It is thus open to abuse. So all these suits are landing on the Supreme Court's doorstep because other entities failed to do the due diligence bit. Let's hope the Supreme Court doesn't get rolled, too. Maybe they will decide the Constitution has some meaning for the country still. That is if the US wants to continue to be a civil society.
	Sara Drake \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 04:17

	What if Obama is not a U.S. born person? Does Biden become President? If not him who? Kevin C.
	Kevin \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 04:13

	factcheck is run by obama...He's failed to release college and medical records that probably list is nationality as kenyan or indonesian. his kenyan grandmother is on video saying she attended his birth in africa. AND even if he was born in hawaii, he forfeited his citizenship when he became an indonesian citizen. he would have forfeited it again by traveling to pakistan on his indonesian passport, and if that wasn't enough, a previous US supreme court case Perkins v. Elg, 307 U.S. 325 (1939) says that a person born in the US (assuming he was born in hawaii) with a parent that has a foreign allegiance, in this case barry's father was a british citizen, than that child is a citizen, though not natural born.
	ken \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 03:50

	You might want to check that out again: Today's Information from http://theobamafile.com/ObamaLatest.htm The Relevant Obama Admission By NaturalBornCitizen At Barack Obama’s web site, the following admission: "FactCheck.org Clarifies Barack’s Citizenship 'When Barack Obama Jr. was born on Aug. 4,1961, in Honolulu, Kenya was a British colony, still part of the United Kingdom’s dwindling empire. As a Kenyan native, Barack Obama Sr. was a British subject whose citizenship status was governed by The British Nationality Act of 1948. That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.‘s children…' " Read that last line again. "That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.‘s children…" That’s an admission that Great Britain "governed the status" of Barack Obama, Jr., and Obama has chosen to highlight this on his own volition. And this leads to the relevant question: HOW CAN A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN’S STATUS BE "GOVERNED" BY GREAT BRITAIN? A natural born citizen’s status should only be governed by the United States. This is the core issue before the Supreme Court of the United States. Looks like "That One" is starting to clarify.
	Bobbi \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 00:31

	"I concur. The authenticity of Obama's birth certificate had already been a topic in the campaign and has been refuted convincingly. Here are again the links to Factcheck.org . . . " Wow. You do realize, don't you, that factcheck.org is an official Obama site? Hardly a trusted source, now is it. Try http://www.wethepeoplefoundation.org/ instead. This group is non-partisan group, unlike factcheck. The "Certification" of birth is NOT the same thing as a Certificate of birth. Wake up.
	Obamanation \| Homepage \| 06.12.2008, 00:20

	If it is really a forgery, that is a felony! So let's ignore it and have a felon for president.
	frog13207 \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 06.12.2008, 00:04

	It is sad that these ugly people have nothing better to do than to challenge someone who may be the most popular president in history (but that's easy to do now because it would be an immediate comparison to the most unpopular president in Amercian History) The extreme "righties" are mostly racist rednecks who sometimes where white collars. Their "conservative" movement has put this economy and this world in dire straits and Obama just might be able to inspire most of us enough to pull ourselves up by the "bootstraps" and come out of this 2nd Great Depression. I wonder why, and would like to know why Iraq is not paying the US to help them fight bush's war? I think they should lead the "bail-out" for all of main-stream America.
	Jon \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:59

	This is the problem. If he has a birth certificate why is he not producing it for the public to see? He’s spent a great deal of money on lawyers trying to keep from producing the document. With all the controversy I don’t understand why he will not produce the birth certificate and put an end to this once and for all.
	Ed \| Homepage \| 05.12.2008, 23:57

	fact check and politic has based their finding on what was on obama's website and what obama has given to them if he has the original bc why doesn't he show it to media just like Mccain did? because he does not have it.
	nancy \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:47

	I'm not convinced. This is an editorial so conjecture is appropriate but factcheck.org is not an impartial entity that validates official documents. It iss a website that was set-up to defend Obama against possible "swift-boat" attacks. This isn't really about Obama, its about the non-stop assault on our constitution. The people who really control things want to see how far they can push. I think we should push back. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
	Randy Dujour \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:34

	This is a nutjob case, brought to you by right wing conspiracy theorists who have a long history of such nonsense fake hysterical theories. And as any Supreme Court scholar will tell you, it's going nowhere in a hurry. Everybody can move on; nothing to see here.
	SarahJane \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:17

	Michael-- You are in error. Donofrio's case (the one the Court was holding conference on today the 5th) is NOT about Obama's birth certificate or his place of birth! Donofrio says that Obama could have been born on the Mall of DC, given a golden Birth Cert. and had a million witnesses...it still wouldn't be enough to make him a natural born citizen as is required by the Constitution. Donofrio doesn't care what Obama produces or doesn't produce for birth certs. or where he says he was born. I'm not sure where you are getting your info, but you, like most of the rest of the media has this all wrong. If you'd like to read Donofrio's blog and get the scoop straight from the horses mouth go to www.naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com Also, isn't there some sort of press room at the Supreme Court that could give you media types accurate information? (By the way, Berg's case is the one about the birth certificate. His website is: www.obamacrimes.com There you can see someone make an Obama birthcert. like the one on Factcheck in about 2 minutes flat--complete with seal and everything.) So...if you and the media could rise to a higher level of journalism...we'd all appreciate it. Biased rumor mill newshouses are just as effective as the KGB in squashing truth...you don't want to sink to the level of tabloid press now do you??
	JR \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:17

	President Elect Obama's birth place confirmed by Kenyan Ambassador in call to Ambassador Peter Ogego placed by Detroit radio station WRIF's "Mike in the Morning” on 11/21/2008. Ambassador Ogego confirms President Elect Obama's birth place in Kenya is “already an attraction" and that there’s no need for a monument to mark President Elect Obama's birth place in Kenya because “its already well known”. Here is the audio link. The confirmation is about 2/3 the way thru the audio . . . . . . but the first part authenticates the phone call. http://my.wrif.com/mim/?p=916
	eriand \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:14

	The most common fallacy about this issue is that it doesn't matter whether Obama was born on US soil or not. The definition of natural citizenship is not spelled out in the Constitution; rather it is stated subsequently in Title 8 of the U.S. Code. The conditions that must apply (edited for relevancy) are as follows: - Anyone born inside the United States - Anyone born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time) http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html Therefore, the court case is moot. The true motives about which I'm certain we can all speculate, but I'm going to venture: racism, spitefulness, poor sportsmanship, and plan ignorance.
	Lara \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 23:10

	Obamas mother was American, than is he not American?
	David \| Homepage \| 05.12.2008, 23:06

	The issue is not where he was born. It is that he is not a naturalized citizen.
	Get it right \| Homepage \| 05.12.2008, 22:59

	Having lived a long time in Hawaii, but born under the banner of Cook County, Ill, let me tell you that there are no two more corrupt places in the world to have chosen to get fraudulent documents from. So it surprises me not in the least.
	Rick A Hyatt \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 22:09

	Folks, do some research. There's a LOT more to this than this article mentions. Forget the FactCheck B.S. too. Shoddy reporting here.
	RM \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 21:48

	Factcheck ? hasn't the integrity of factcheck been compromised ?
	Shadowman \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 21:47

	Your information is bad. The lawsuit does not claim he wasn't born in the U.S. That is a different lawsuit. The one being looked at today is Denonfrio vs. Wells. This claims that Obama is not a "natural born citizen" as is required to be President. To be considered "natural born" both of your parents must have been U.S. citizens at the time of your birth. Obama's father was from Kenya and not a U.S. citizen so therefore Obama is just technically a citizen, not a "natural born citizen." That is what the case claims anyway.
	John K \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 21:47

	Did you live through the turbulence of the sixties? If this man is not elected President of the United States and the government goes against wishes of 40 million Americans who voted him in .. the 60's will seem like a tea party .
	angela V. frink \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 21:47

	The U.S. Supreme Court is conferencing today on Donofrio v. Wells, which argues that Obama was a dual-citizen with the U.K. at birth and therefore ineligible to become U.S. President. The U.S. Supreme Court is also considering Berg v. Obama, which argues that Obama was born in Kenya and then his birth was illegally registered in Hawaii U.S.A., because his Mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, had not yet reached nineteen years of age. The Berg case also argues that Obama is in the country illegally, because he became an Indonesian citizen when his step-father adopted him and then he accepted Indonesian citizenship with a series of acts. There are many other cases filed as well with State courts, most of which could be settled quickly by Mr. Obama, if he would produce the "vault" copy of his birth certificate that shows his infant footprint, parent's signatures, birth hospital, and name of attending physician. It is interesting to note that no hospital or doctor has been located who will corroborate Obama's Hawaiian birth, so that an historial marker can be erected.
	Dave Wagner \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 21:31

	Remember that the law says you must be a natural born citizen of the United States of America, and not actually born on US soil. This means that as long as you are born of American parents who are american citizens, that makes you eligible to become president. Lets not forget where John McCain was born: Panama Canal Zone, Panama.
	PoliCana \| Homepage \| E-Mail \| 05.12.2008, 21:24