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Eligibility Update: Rep. Deal, Garrett on Birth Certificate; November 6 Resignations

By Phil

As I had previously reported, Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA), also a 2010 Republican Georgia gubernatorial candidate, is seeking Mr. Obama’s birth certificate. Today, SavannahNow.com posted a story concerning Rep. Deal’s foray into eligibility with a number of editorial fallacies that I shall now correct:

“My office, and I’m sure many other offices,” the Gainesville lawmaker said, “continue to get inquiries. … The president has the ability to put this to rest completely, and I think he should do that. …

“It takes up my staff’s time. We are constantly required to answer these kinds of inquiries. … I’m willing to take his word for it, but I think he needs to convince those who still have doubts.”

Under the U.S. Constitution, only native-born citizens may serve as president. Hawaii became a state in 1959.

“Native-born citizens?” Someone needs to show Larry Peterson, the post writer, Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution! It’s “natural born,” not “native-born!”

Early in the campaign for the 2008 presidential election, critics of Obama argued he was born in another country.

Obama’s presidential campaign posted online what it said was a copy of the document.

FactCheck.org said its staffers have “seen, touched and photographed” the certificate and concluded it’s genuine.

Good for the FactCheck.org blog. However, they’re still a blog, and regardless of their credentialed histories, nobody — to date — has been able to determine that the folks behind the blog have the forensic abilities to make any sort of document substantiation with respect to the certification of live birth (not a long-form birth certificate that would otherwise contain, for examples, the name of the hospital, doctor or mid-wife involved in the birth).

Further, even though those who promote FactCheck.org as being a promulgator of truth (though even that’s been in question) say that the organization has made itself available for any reporters or third parties to inspect the document, no such visits have actually been made.

Therefore, a “conclu[sion] it’s genuine” is, clearly, in the eye of the beholder.

PolitiFact said it sent an online copy to Hawaii’s Department of Health and that the department responded the document is authentic.

And this means what, exactly? Did the Department of Health confirm that the document actually originated from their offices? (No, they didn’t).

The Associated Press has reported it received the same response from the department.

Both fact-checking groups have posted online rebuttals of contentions by Obama critics that the document is a fake.

The point is that everyone sees an image of an alleged document. The legitimacy of the certification of live birth could be severely put to rest if it could be shown (1) who, exactly, requested it back in 2007; (2) the receipt procuring the document; and (3) an individual with professional credentials being able to examine the actual, in-hand document.

And FactCheck.org has posted online a copy of a birth announcement it said was published Aug. 13, 1961, in the Honolulu Advertiser.

The announcement says a son was born to “Mr. and Mrs. Barack H. Obama” on Aug. 4.

Newspaper announcements are fine and all, but this is clearly circumstantial and anecdotal at best. In other words, try presenting that in Court and see how far you get.

In July, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed such claims as “made-up fictional nonsense.”

Asked why the issue keeps surfacing, Gibbs responded, “Because, for $15, you can get an Internet address and say whatever you want.”

“This question has been asked and answered, and I have no additional comment,” White House Spokeswoman Gannet Tseggai said Tuesday.

It’s very simple. There’s nothing wrong with anyone questioning the legitimacy of the President.

Deal, due to continue campaigning in Savannah today, said he and other House members will sign a letter to Obama asking him to provide the birth certificate.

“They just want to get it off their plate,” he said. “… It just needs to be put to rest.”

But he did not appear eager to press the matter.

“I did not think that was an appropriate question to be asking in regard to a governor’s race,” he said, referring to the initial inquiry.

A reporter posed the question during what was billed as an online chat between Deal and supporters.

If Obama will “simply tell us where we should refer … inquiries that come to our offices,” he added Tuesday, “we’ll do that. And we’ll be satisfied.”

And from commenter “Geir (Gerhardt) Smith,” the WashingtonIndependent’s David Weigel uncovered a YouTube video where Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) was confronted by an eligibility questioner:

Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with questioning the legitimacy of the President. In fact, it continues to fascinate me that there are those who continually castigate individuals such as myself for pursuing the matter. And while I realize that the issue may be settled for them, for me, it’s an issue that I simply don’t know for a fact that he is eligible.

Following up on my previous eligibility update, as John Charlton at The Post & Email originally reported, it appears that November 6, 2009 was quite the day of resignations for this Administration; the question is, why?

In an editorial by The Washington Prowler, ?Obama goes to the Matresses?, we are told that Cassandra Butts,  ?a Harvard classmate of Obama?s and one of the administration?s highest-ranking African Americans . . . quietly resigned on Friday, November 6 . . .? .

This resignation preceded that of her immediate superior, Gregory Craig, who left the position of White House Counsel only days ago.

However, what The Washington Prowler writes is more telling in the intrigue and politics behind the Craig resignation and the ascendency of Robert Bauer, whose appointment to Craig?s old position was made last Friday:

?[Bauer] knows where all the bodies are buried, and this indicates that there is something amiss with this White House, or at least someone is nervous about what is going on,? says a former Obama transition team adviser. ?You don?t just make these kinds of changes for the sake of rearranging the deck chairs, and not at this time with at least three legislative and policy decisions looming that the Counsel?s office would have been deeply involved in.?

?This doesn?t come close to the ?Saturday Night Massacre? in the Nixon days, but it?s pretty damn weird,? says Washington, D.C.-based Democrat lawyer, who has held counsel positions both in the Senate and in previous presidential administrations. ?I?m surprised not only that the press seems to be ignoring the fact that two presidential lawyers have left at about the same time, but that no one seems to care that for the first time, I think ever, we have a President?s personal attorney also serving as White House counsel. I don?t care if Bob [Bauer] recuses himself from future personal legal business, this should be troubling to anyone who cares about the Executive Office of the President.? [emphases original]

See the following links regarding the eligibility saga:

• The background:
  • Obama?s Presidential Eligibility: What You Need to Know
  • Obama’s Sealed Background Documentation
  • Obama Citizenship Facts
  • What’s the Difference Between a Birth Certification Versus a Birth Certificate
• The questions:
  • Leo Donofrio Affirms FightTheSmears.com?s Obama Citizenship Admission
  • Fallible FactCheck.org: TheBirthers, Donofrio Cause Change on Obama Citizenship
  • Newsmax.com: Obama Birth Certificate Not Released
  • Keyes v. Lingle: Forensic Examiner and IT Expert Disprove Certification of Live Birth
  • The State Department and Sen. Patrick Leahy’s (D-VT) Natural Born Citizen Resolution (April 10, 2008)
  • Citizen Grand Jury Updates and Eligibility Lawsuit Listing

-Phil

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Full post as published by The Right Side of Life on November 18, 2009 (boomark / email).