FF Coburn Endorses Birther Bill

[Lunar]

FF for Democrats that is.  "Endorses" may be too powerful of a word, but there isn't a word that easily comes to mind that conveys his medium (letter to a constituent) with the significance of being the first Senator to do this.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=101492

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., says it's the responsibility of the states to make sure political candidates are eligible for the offices they seek, but he's in favor of both state and federal demands that future presidential candidates have a formal procedure to document their qualifications.

The relatively strong statement from Coburn on the issue of the eligibility of a president came in a recent letter to a constituent who contacted WND.

WND has reported on a federal plan in the U.S. House by Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., that would require documentation of eligibility from presidential candidates, and Coburn confirmed he would view that positively.

"The bill requires any federal candidates' campaign committee filing with the Federal Election Commission to produce a copy of the candidate's birth certificate," he wrote. "If the bill makes it to the Senate, I will likely support it."

...

He said while he believes President Obama "meets the constitutional requirement to be president," he said, "It is each state's responsibility to determine the eligibility of those running for federal office."

But the senator also affirmed there are concerns about any "possible violation" of the U.S. Constitution.

[??????????]

Support. Anyone who applies for a job has to show proof of residence and that they're legal to work here. Why an elected position should somehow be exempt is beyond me.

[Lunar]

Support. Anyone who applies for a job has to show proof of residence and that they're legal to work here. Why an elected position should somehow be exempt is beyond me.

It's an acceptable position to take in a vacuum.  But you wouldn't want to pass a bill forbidding the government from faking moon landings right after the first moon landing occurred, that strongly suggests guilt.

[Rowan]

Support. Anyone who applies for a job has to show proof of residence and that they're legal to work here. Why an elected position should somehow be exempt is beyond me.

Yeah I never understood why they didn't have to to begin with. I mean shouldn't it be automatic procedure to see if the person is eligible, not just have it assumed?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

[Democratic Hawk]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

When it comes to this president, FACTS have never exactly stood in the way of wing nut job fantasies

[Rowan]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

Actually it's not. For the application to get on a ballot, nowhere does it ask for a copy of a birth certificate.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

Actually it's not. For the application to get on a ballot, nowhere does it ask for a copy of a birth certificate.

The short form birth certificate, which the Obama campaign released, and which the non-partisan website factcheck.org handled and photographed, is considered by the state department to be valid proof of U.S. citizenship.

[Franzl]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

Actually it's not. For the application to get on a ballot, nowhere does it ask for a copy of a birth certificate.

The short form birth certificate, which the Obama campaign released, and which the non-partisan website factcheck.org handled and photographed, is considered by the state department to be valid proof of U.S. citizenship.

but....but....his name is Hussein!

[??????????]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

Actually it's not. For the application to get on a ballot, nowhere does it ask for a copy of a birth certificate.

The short form birth certificate, which the Obama campaign released, and which the non-partisan website factcheck.org handled and photographed, is considered by the state department to be valid proof of U.S. citizenship.

That's not the argument we're making.

[Rowan]

Uh, it is procedure. And all the evidence shows that indeed Obama is a natural-born citizen, unless you believe in a massive conspiracy on behalf of the state of Hawaii that has been going on since before Obama even took public office.

Actually it's not. For the application to get on a ballot, nowhere does it ask for a copy of a birth certificate.

The short form birth certificate, which the Obama campaign released, and which the non-partisan website factcheck.org handled and photographed, is considered by the state department to be valid proof of U.S. citizenship.

I'm not arguing whether Obama is a citizen or not. I'm saying that on the application to get on the ballot, there is nothing that says you have to provide a birth certificate.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Why did no one complain about McCain not providing his birth certificate?

[minionofmidas]

Why did no one complain about McCain not providing his birth certificate?

That bill would have applied to him as well.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Why did no one complain about McCain not providing his birth certificate?

That bill would have applied to him as well.

True, but the point is this never was a controversy until a handful of PUMA kooks started ridiculous and baseless rumors which the right-wingers picked up on. No one ever made similar demands of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, John Kerry, George W. Bush, Al Gore, etc. either. Or even Obama in February of 2007 for that matter. Now we're being told it should just be standard practice and is fair for everyone. It's a solution in search of a non-existant problem.

[minionofmidas]

It's a solution in search of a non-existant problem.

Yes, of course, of course. But it's not *exactly* a birther bill, either.