Editorial: Put the president’s birth issue to rest

Editorial Board

Enough is enough.

The issue of President Obama’s birth location has become nothing more than a media circus; Lindsay Lohan going to jail is currently on par with the value of the birth issue.

The White House has issued the long-form version of Obama’s birth certificate. For all intents and purposes, it looks legitimate. Even Donald Trump has made a public statement that we should move beyond to bigger issues.

If Trump is willing to move on — though he does plan to have his people examine the document in detail — the rest of the Americans still hung up on the issue need to move on, as well.

There are legitimate campaign issues that should be addressed in the upcoming battles: the economy, national spending and debt, wars, renewable energy, oil, climate change, and human rights. These are serious issues that will require years of effort and must be addressed post haste, lest this country continue its fall from grace.

So, even if you think Obama has bamboozled the fine folks of the United States, understand that the time it will take to discover whether he did — and any subsequent court proceedings — would take far longer than the four years that would cover his second term, should he win.

If he did pull the wool over our eyes, then it was an amazing feat; illegal, but amazing. If this was a massive cover-up, and we find his birth in the U.S. to be a sham, then we will have learned how to address issues similar to this in the future and likely be a better country for having gained that knowledge.

But for now, the long-form birth certificate for Barack Hussein Obama II — yes, he is a “Jr.” — has been produced by a credible source, and continuing on this mad conspiracy theory route will only make the upcoming presidential race more of a wasteland of lesser issues than it already might become.

Give Trump credit for making the birth certificate appear for the public. It was a great method for gaining public attention while preparing for a presidential run or trying to damage Obama’s support with wavering voters. But again, let the issue go and move on to issues that are having and will continue to have an immense impact on the lives of every American: the economy, national spending and debt, wars, renewable energy, oil, climate change and human rights.

Besides, if you really want to follow along on some alleged government cover-ups, conspiracies or outlandish activities, read the miles of pages offered through WikiLeaks. That’s got to be more worthwhile than dwelling on the president’s place of birth.