Get ready for a barrage of official propaganda from the office of the governor of Hawaii designed to convince Americans their president is a "natural born citizen" and therefore constitutionally eligible for office.
Neil Abercrombie, a lifelong friend of Barack Obama and his family, has revealed in a Los Angeles Times interview that it's on the top of his gubernatorial agenda.
But the assertions of a politician are not the same as verifiable, documentable facts.
Advertisement - story continues below
Neither are the contested assertions of newspaper reporters.
And that's all that is offered up in this latest piece, "For Hawaii governor, discrediting anti-Obama 'birthers' is a top priority."
TRENDING: Employee fired for having Parler and Gab social-media accounts
After all, if that is truly Abercrombie's priority, wouldn't it be a simple matter for him to persuade his good friend, Obama, to simply green-light the release of his long-form birth certificate? Why is it necessary to debate and argue and rehash all of the so-called "evidence," when there is one simple document missing that could help settle the matter for the 58 percent of Americans who doubt Obama's nativity story?
Advertisement - story continues below
Abercrombie is introducing a new twist into the debate, too – the idea that those who question Obama's eligibility are, in fact, actually questioning whether "Hawaiians aren't Americans in the same way as mainlanders."
Not true. When they don't have the facts on their side, debaters often try to change the subject. But, in reality, neither of Obama's claimed birth parents were, in fact, born in Hawaii. And, none of his grandparents were from Hawaii.
What is established fact is that Barack Obama and his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, were living in Seattle within weeks of his birth. Despite the unsubstantiated claims in the L.A. Times, no Hawaiian hospital, including Kapi'olani, has ever confirmed it is the place of his birth.
Here are some questions Abercrombie can answer if his goal is to shed light on the truth rather than merely perpetuate myth:
- Since you knew Obama's parents, can you tell us if you attended their wedding? If so, where was it and when?
- Did Obama's parents ever live together as husband and wife? If so, can you provide an address and time period?
- Since you claim to have been in the loop at the time of the baby's birth, can you tell us which hospital he was born in? If it was Kapi'olani, why won't the hospital just proclaim it? Why doesn't the hospital officially commemorate itself as the birthplace of America's first black president and first Hawaiian president?
Advertisement - story continues below
Abercrombie characterizes America's concern about the legitimacy of the president and that the Constitution is being followed to the letter as "[m]ore than demonization – this is self-evisceration of politics." He adds, "Empires fall and countries fall when that takes the place of discourse."
Of course, there is a simple solution to that: Produce the birth certificate!
Why is Barack Obama's birth certificate such a guarded secret? Surely Abercrombie and the L.A. Times can understand that the withholding of simple documents of this kind will always raise suspicions in the mind of Americans – and rightly so.
Advertisement - story continues below
Abercrombie also characterizes those who want proof of Obama's eligibility as "conspiracy theorists." That's painting with a pretty broad brush given that 58 percent of Americans fall into that category.
It's going to be interesting to see what lengths Abercrombie is willing to go to settle this matter.
His state has officially sealed Obama's birth certificate. Because of the overwhelming number of requests Hawaii has received from the public about Obama's birth, the state even refuses to answer such requests.
Advertisement - story continues below
So, will Abercrombie unseal the records? Will he convince his good friend, Obama, to simply give his consent to release the document? Or will he just continue to mau-mau the controversy by slandering Americans who simply believe in the rule of law?