Newsmax.com: “Lou Dobbs Right on Obama Birth Certificate”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From an August 3 Newsmax.com editorial, headlined “Lou Dobbs Right on Obama Birth Certificate”:
The Associated Press is wrong and Lou Dobbs is right.
This past weekend, the AP published a story entitled “CNN's Dobbs Under Fire for Hosting 'Birthers'”.
The AP began their highly critical story on Dobbs: “He's become a publicity nightmare for CNN, embarrassed his boss and hosted a show that seemed to contradict the network's 'no bias' brand.”
And what is Dobbs' “crime?” He has said on air that Obama should release his birth certificate and has had on his show guests who suggested Obama was born outside the U.S.
Dobbs does not believe Obama was born outside the U.S., nor does Newsmax. The evidence indicates he was born in Hawaii. But the indisputable fact is that Obama has not released his birth certificate, which the state of Hawaii issues for all citizens born there. The AP implies that Obama has not released a “long version of his birth certificate.” But there is no such thing as a long version of a birth certificate.
Instead, Obama's campaign last year released only his Certification of Live Birth from the state of Hawaii, which is a document that offers a summarized version of the birth certificate. Even state residents born outside the U.S. can get one.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, GOP nominee Sen. John McCain quickly released his birth certificate when liberal bloggers raised questions about his eligibility to be president. McCain was born at a military hospital in Panama.
Obama likewise could put the matter to rest by releasing his actual birth certificate, which would show, among other things, the place of his birth and the doctor who performed the birth procedure.
This information is not provided on the Certification of Live Birth.
As it stands, Obama is the only president in history whose birthplace is unknown to the public - a fact that would be stated on the actual birth certificate. Interestingly, his family has mentioned two different hospitals in Hawaii as the place of birth.
Obama's refusal to release his birth certificate does mean that Obama remains one of America's most mysterious and opaque presidents ever.
Previously:
AP reports Lou Dobbs has “become a publicity nightmare for CNN”