Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate To Silence Eligibility Doubts
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — Nearly two-and-a-half years after taking office, President Barack Obama released his long-form birth certificate on Wednesday in response to mounting questions regarding his eligibility to serve in the White House — but will the unprecedented move convince voters?
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou asked Angelenos after seeing the document if they believe the president was legitimately born in the United States and whether the evidence will put the controversy to rest.
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Most passersby who looked at the document say they already believed Obama was born in the U.S., but many sounded unconvinced that the White House move will do little to sway skeptics.
"I'll bet you somebody will say, 'No, I don't believe it'," said one man. "There will always be those who look at something and say, 'That's not true'."
Obama spoke shortly after the White House released a copy of the long form of his birth certificate, which contains more extensive data than a version released earlier.
The certificate says Obama was born to an American mother and Kenyan father in Hawaii, which makes him eligible to hold the office of president.
Obama released a standard short form before he was elected in 2008 but requested copies of his original birth certificate from Hawaii officials this week in hopes of quieting the controversy.
Until Wednesday, the White House had insisted that the short form certificate was the appropriate legal document confirming Obama's birth and no further proof was needed.
The administration's policy shift may have come too late for many skeptics in the public arena.
So-called "birthers" — a pejorative term that refers to a group including Army lieutenant colonel Terry Lakin and potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — recently began questioning why Obama hadn't ensured the long form was released.
Meanwhile, an advertisement in the Washington Times points to a federal lawsuit alleging Obama may have fraudulently used a Social Security Number issued only to residents of the State of Connecticut.
The newly released certificate is signed by the delivery doctor, Obama's mother and the local registrar. His mother, then 18, signed her name (Stanley) Ann Dunham Obama.
The form says Barack Hussein Obama II was born at 7:24 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961, at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital, within the city limits of Honolulu.
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