Editor's note: Tune in to AC360° Tuesday beginning at 10 p.m. ET to see the remainder of Gary Tuchman's investigation into President Barack Obama's birthplace.
(CNN) -- Was Barack Obama really born in America?
A new CNN investigation reveals what most analysts have been saying since the so-called "birther" controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign: Obama was born in the state of Hawaii on August 4, 1961. Period.
Obama passes CNN birther investigation
While the president has made light of the controversy, the question remains political red meat for some of his critics. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll showed that nearly 75% of Americans believe Obama was definitely or probably born in the United States. More than four in 10 Republicans, however, believe he probably or definitely was not born in America.
The U.S. Constitution says only "natural born" citizens can become president -- a vague clause that some members of the birther movement contend disqualifies Obama because, they insist, he was born outside the United States.
Skeptics contend, among other things, that Obama was born in his father's home country of Kenya. Potential GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump recently seized on the issue, saying he had doubts about Obama's background.
Trump claims birth certificate missing
CNN investigators in Honolulu, however, found nothing to reinforce those doubts.
Obama passes CNN 'birther' investigation
A setback for "Birthers"
RELATED TOPICS Barack Obama Hawaii U.S. Politics Elections and Voting Cable News Network
Dr. Chiyome Fukino, a former director of the Hawaii Department of Health and a Republican, told CNN in her most extensive comments to date that she has "no doubt" Obama was born in the state.
Obama's 2008 campaign produced a "certification of live birth," a document legally accepted as confirmation of a birth and routinely used for official purposes. Fukino, however, went one step further, taking advantage of a state law that allows certain public officials to examine a person's actual birth certificate if there is a "direct and tangible interest."
The president's actual certificate, she said, is stored in a vault in the building that houses the Department of Health. Ironically, unlike the certificate of live birth, it is no longer accepted for official usage.
Obama's certificate is "absolutely authentic," she said. "He was absolutely born here in the state of Hawaii."
In order to see what happens when someone born in Hawaii requests a birth certificate, CNN asked a current resident of the state -- Stig Waidelich -- if he could get a copy of the document.
Waidelich was born just hours after Obama in August 1961. Like Obama, Waidelich's birth was announced at the time in the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper.
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Waidelich, like Obama in 2008, was given a certification of live birth in response to his request.
Could Obama's 1961 birth announcement in the Honolulu Star Bulletin be a fake? Some conspiracy theorists say yes. Longtime Honolulu newspaper reporter Dan Nakaso says no.
"It's not possible," Nakaso told CNN. "Under the system that existed back then, there was no avenue for people to submit information that way. ... The information came directly from the state Department of Health."
Indeed, as CNN confirmed, all birth announcements at the time came directly from hospital birth records.
Could Obama, a self-proclaimed Christian, be preventing the distribution of copies of the original birth certificate because it identifies him as a Muslim?
Fukino says no. The original certificate includes no mention of the president's religion. And indeed, other original certificates from that time don't mention faith.
Obama could file a Freedom of Information Act request to view his original birth certificate and make copies. But at this point, the White House maintains, nothing will satisfy the doubters.
Rick Smethurst, a 2008 John McCain voter who now lives in Obama's childhood home in Hawaii, counts himself among the doubters. He wants to find someone who saw Obama immediately after the president was born.
Current Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie says he did. Abercrombie, a Democrat, was friendly with Ann Dunham, Obama's mother, and remembers celebrating the birth.
Arizona governor criticizes birther "distraction"
"Of course, we had no idea at the time that the future president of the United States was that little boy, that little baby," Abercrombie recalled. But "we are very, very happy ... that took place."
Professor Alice Dewey of the University of Hawaii was a faculty adviser to Dunham and also knew the future president when he was a child. She called the controversy "funny." She said there is "no way" Obama wasn't born in the state.
Dewey remembered a conversation in which Dunham compared the birth of Obama with that of his sister, Maya, who actually was born overseas.
"She said, 'When I had Maya, it was a lot of more difficult because Indonesia doesn't believe in painkillers while you're giving birth. ... Of course, in the United States, giving birth to Barry (Obama's childhood nickname) was quite different and much more comfortable,' " Dewey recalled.
Waidelich's mother, Monika, believes she saw Obama in Honolulu's Kapiolani Medical Center next to her son back in 1961.
"In those days, there were hardly any other black babies," she told CNN.
The hospital wouldn't show patient records from 1961, but the state's African-American population was less than 1% at the time.
Regardless of the evidence, there may be no convincing some of those who question the president's origins.
"I find it a bit amusing in the sense that (the issue) keeps resurfacing over and over again," Fukino said. "It really tells us that the whole conspiracy notion is out there (and) that if there is an issue that needs a following, they will find one.
"No matter what you do or say, it make no difference," she said.
Abercrombie, who tried to put an end to the controversy when he became governor, told CNN he just hopes that "people who have this political orientation towards the president respect us here in Hawaii."
"Respect his mother and father," the governor urged. "Respect the people I loved and the people that I knew, and the little boy who grew up here in paradise and became president."
That, the evidence suggests, may be easier said than done.
#1. To: Ferret Mike, war, , *Crime and Corruption*, *Politics and Politicians* (#0)
A new CNN investigation reveals what most analysts have been saying since the so-called "birther" controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign: Obama was born in the state of Hawaii on August 4, 1961. Period.
Ok,I have always believed he was born in Hawaii,but I just changed my mind. If Pravda says he was born there,he wasn't. They are never content to just spin the news to a leftist perspective,they outright lie. They have been caught at this time after time,from Operation Tailwind to the 96 Russian elections to various polls they have rigged and been caught rigging.
Obama's 2008 campaign produced a "certification of live birth," a document legally accepted as confirmation of a birth and routinely used for official purposes. Fukino, however, went one step further, taking advantage of a state law that allows certain public officials to examine a person's actual birth certificate if there is a "direct and tangible interest."
The president's actual certificate, she said, is stored in a vault in the building that houses the Department of Health.
YOO,HOO! War! See that? The very person you claim that says a COLB is the same as a birth certificate says right here that they ain't.
Ironically, unlike the certificate of live birth, it is no longer accepted for official usage.
A change that happened after people began claiming the acting president had never shown his,and that the COLB wasn't proof of America citizenship.
Obama's 2008 campaign produced a "certification of live birth," a document legally accepted as confirmation of a birth and routinely used for official purposes. Fukino, however, went one step further, taking advantage of a state law that allows certain public officials to examine a person's actual birth certificate if there is a "direct and tangible interest."
See this,war? What does this mean to YOU? Enquiring minds,and all dat.
Waidelich, like Obama in 2008, was given a certification of live birth in response to his request.
Typical CNN spin/lie. They are IMPLYING you can't get a birth certificate,which also means the acting president isn't providing his because the state won't give it to him. Which is bullshit on more than one level. Besides the FACT that a sitting president can get any freaking document he wants to get,so can everybody else. In FACT,NON-POLITICAL people applying for a security clearance are REQUIRED to provide a birth certificate. So are people enlisting in the US military.
What is wrong with requiring the Commander in Chief of the US military from having to meet the same MINIMUM requirements a freaking Private E-1 in the US Army has to meet?
WHERE are the leftist equality demands for the powerful to be held to the same requirements as the powerless?
The president's actual certificate, she said, is stored in a vault in the building that houses the Department of Health. Ironically, unlike the certificate of live birth, it is no longer accepted for official usage.
Once again a spin lie told to benefit the pretender in the WH. It may no longer be accepted for official usage in Hawaii,BUT IT IS STILL A REQUIREMENT UNDER FEDERAL LAW.
AND.......,once again it is no longer accepted in Hawaii because of laws that have been passed in order to give the pretender in the WH political coverage. Dims and other idiots will read that and think that has been the law ever since Hawaii has existed,and it just ain't so.
"It's not possible," Nakaso told CNN. "Under the system that existed back then, there was no avenue for people to submit information that way. ... The information came directly from the state Department of Health."
Indeed, as CNN confirmed, all birth announcements at the time came directly from hospital birth records.
AND.........ANOTHER lie. Birth announcements came from the newspapers,and ANYBODY could place a phone call to a paper and have a birth announcement printed.
Or do they now want us to believe that home births (for instance) to be reported by a hospital?
Obama could file a Freedom of Information Act request to view his original birth certificate and make copies.
YOO,HOO! War! See this? Says right here that the pretender can REQUEST AND RECEIVE A CERTIFIED COPY OF HIS ACTUAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE.
Current Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie says he did.
Yeah,and if you can't trust him,who CAN you trust?
Gimme a freaking break!
Waidelich's mother, Monika, believes she saw Obama in Honolulu's Kapiolani Medical Center next to her son back in 1961.
"In those days, there were hardly any other black babies," she told CNN.
Yeah. You can look at a black infant and then recognize him 45 years later from that one encounter,right?
Abercrombie, who tried to put an end to the controversy when he became governor, told CNN he just hopes that "people who have this political orientation towards the president respect us here in Hawaii."
Whores always seek respect.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
"What he got, everybody got," said Fukino. "He put out exactly what everybody gets when they ask for a birth certificate."
Fukino was and is lying. ANYBODY born in Hawaii can get a certified copy of their original birth certificate by merely asking for it and paying a small fee. Several people born in Hawaii have done just this and posted their birth certificates on the internet since these claims were started.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
BTW,Fukino even admits further down the article that you can still get a copy of your original birth certificate. Read the post I made that I pinged you to.
BTW,I DO believe he was born in Hawaii,but he doesn't want his birth certificate made public because it was show he is not and never has been the son of a African. He is the descendant of slaves,and the father named on the birth certificate is Frank Marshall Davis.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
But Wisch, the spokesman for the attorney general's office, said state law does not in fact permit the release of "vital records," including an original "record of live birth" even to the individual whose birth it records.
"It's a Department of Health record and it can't be released to anybody," he said. Nor do state laws have any provision that authorizes such records to be photocopied, Wisch said. If Obama wanted to personally visit the state health department, he would be permitted to inspect his birth record, Wisch said.
But if he or anybody else wanted a copy of their birth records, they would be told to fill out the appropriate state form and receive back the same computer generated "certification of live birth" form that everybody else gets which is exactly what Obama did four years ago.
BTW,I DO believe he was born in Hawaii,but he doesn't want his birth certificate made public because it was show he is not and never has been the son of a African. He is the descendant of slaves,and the father named on the birth certificate is Frank Marshall Davis.
But Wisch, the spokesman for the attorney general's office, said state law does not in fact permit the release of "vital records," including an original "record of live birth" even to the individual whose birth it records.
Whose birth records are they,yours or the states?
"It's a Department of Health record and it can't be released to anybody," he said.
He's full of Bush. You have present one to enlist in the military.
Nor do state laws have any provision that authorizes such records to be photocopied, Wisch said.
That's not what Fukino says. And there ain't nothing new or high-tech about it. I got certified true copies of mine in 1964.
But if he or anybody else wanted a copy of their birth records, they would be told to fill out the appropriate state form and receive back the same computer generated "certification of live birth" form that everybody else gets which is exactly what Obama did four years ago.
An outright lie,times 2.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
Obama blaming "speculators" for high oil prices has no merit either.
You are 100% incorrect. When 60-70% of the long market interest is by funds and investors who are incapable of taking delvery of the commodity it most certainly is an issue.
"Speculator" is a nonsensical term that leftist tyrants use to deflect attention away from their own disreputable policies. Every time I hear a politician use it, I know exactly what's going on -- they are trying to score political points with idiots like you, by creating boogie men that they can focus blame on.
Oil prices are rising for three reasons:
A.) Increased demand. There are 2.5 billion people in China, India, and Southeast Asia joining the world economy. They need energy.
B.) Slowing supply growth. The left-wing lunatics in the U.S. have been forcing domestic energy production to slowly shut down since the 1970s. There is little new drilling. Virtually no new refinement capacity has been created in over three decades.
C.) Increased risk. There is growing political turmoil in the Middle East. This increases the probability that the oil supply will be disrupted or even shut off at some point.
It's just that simple, but dummies like you would rather blame the "rich", the "greedy", and the "speculators" instead of facing reality and doing something about the real issues. You leftist morons have been doing this for the better part of 100 years, so it's no surprise.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."-- Charles Duell, Commissioner of US Patent Office, 1899
"Speculator" is a nonsensical term that leftist tyrants use to deflect attention away from their own disreputable policies.
You have an ongoing penchant for typing stupid things. The above is no exception.
CalPERS Opposes Bill to Curb Oil Speculation
July 25, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Saying it has a fiduciary duty to workers and retirees to diversify their investments, the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) released a statement on Thursday opposing the Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008, The Politico reported.
The fund, which has $1.3 billion of its total $239 billion investment portfolio in commodities, according to The Politico, said legislation limiting its ability to invest in the commodities market would hurt workers and retirees invested in the pension fund.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hilarious...squeezing a few bucks in return is okay even if it costs those same workers and retiress hundreds more at the pump.
CalPers is not in the oil business. If they have open interest in the oil market then they are SPECULATING.
ABP has HUGE open positions in oil. Why would Dutch Pension fund invest in NYMEX oil?
Speculator" is a nonsensical term that leftist tyrants use to deflect attention away from their own disreputable policies. Every time I hear a politician use it, I know exactly what's going on -- they are trying to score political points with idiots like you, by creating boogie men that they can focus blame on.
I guess there's no point to having any of those nasty commodity's markets except that their expressed purpose is to help the producers weather market fluctuations. Maybe they should be eliminated so oil producers can sink or swim like most other businesses.
A.) Increased demand. There are 2.5 billion people in China, India, and Southeast Asia joining the world economy. They need energy.
B.) Slowing supply growth. The left-wing lunatics in the U.S. have been forcing domestic energy production to slowly shut down since the 1970s. There is little new drilling. Virtually no new refinement capacity has been created in over three decades.
Those are exactly the same arguments recycled, I heard when gas at the pump was around $4.50 a gallon during the Bush administration.
It's just that simple, but dummies like you would rather blame the "rich", the "greedy", and the "speculators" instead of facing reality and doing something about the real issues.
I do believe you just made that argument yur own self when you wrote: "There is growing political turmoil in the Middle East. This increases the probability that the oil supply will be disrupted or even shut off at some point." Speculation!
As for facing reality, I agree. Rather than subsidize a dirty, politically expensive source of energy, we should be conserving through efficiencies in use and developing new, green sources
The Republican budget goes after children and the poor. Courage would be going after defense and the rich. Bill Maher
"I love the 45 caliber M1911, I respect the 9MM M9 Beretta but I only carry a CZ for my own personal protection". Quote courtesy of Lt Col John Dean Cooper, recognized as the Father of Modern Handgunning (_*_)
Okay...what was I supposed to be seeing there - besides Rick Santelli reminding me that he was too stupid to be a Floor Trader and so he took the reporter gig?
You are saying there is a federal law that prevents citizens from getting copies of their OWN birth certificates?
If so,post it with a link to it.
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
Take it up with the Hawaiian Supreme Court. They're in Oahu...
So.....,you are telling us the Hawaiian Supreme Court is telling the federal government to go piss up a rope when they demand actual birth certificates for government employees,including military members and ANYBODY that has a security clearance?
"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)
Okay...what was I supposed to be seeing there - besides Rick Santelli reminding me that he was too stupid to be a Floor Trader and so he took the reporter gig?
It was supposed to be a report on oil speculators, looks like it got corrupted somehow.....
"I love the 45 caliber M1911, I respect the 9MM M9 Beretta but I only carry a CZ for my own personal protection". Quote courtesy of Lt Col John Dean Cooper, recognized as the Father of Modern Handgunning (_*_)
It was supposed to be a report on oil speculators, looks like it got corrupted somehow.....
There was a link to Santelli being, well, Santelli in there. Hilarious the moronics that comes out of his mouth. The guy was a Floor Trader at the CBOT and he doesn't understand how rolling a contract forward works.
So.....,you are telling us the Hawaiian Supreme Court is telling the federal government to go piss up a rope when they demand actual birth certificates for government employees,including military members and ANYBODY that has a security clearance?
The issue of comity of state records was settled in the fourth article of the USCON.