Why the Birth Certificate Controversy?

President Obama has finally produced his birth certificate for all to see.

Why has this been such a big deal? Why has this issue gained such traction?

We have seen over the last four years that President Obama's sensibilities do not line up with the sensibilities of a majority of Americans. The Founders expected, and why they added the clause about being a "natural born citizen", that those born in the United States would be more likely to care about the country than those born outside.

* Sitting in a church for 20 years listening to a preacher damning America... is not helpful.
* Your wife claiming that "for the first time" in her adult life "she's proud of her country"... is not helpful.
* Being friendly with a domestic terrorist who has never regretted his actions... is not helpful.
* Not standing at attention and covering your heart when the national anthem is played... is not helpful.
* Not wearing the American flag on your lapel... is not helpful.
* Describing the Muslim call to prayer the "prettiest sound on earth"... is not helpful.
* Returning the Winston Churchill bust to Great Britain... is not helpful.
* Stating that "American exceptionalism" is the same as the British or Greeks' belief in their exceptionalism... is not helpful.
* Looking more like a "citizen of the world" rather than an American President... is not helpful.
* Bowing unnecessarily to other world leaders... is not helpful.

None of these examples are helpful in painting Obama as one who truly cares about the United States.

While the President and the media are interested in painting the "birthers" as marginal extremists - in truth only 38% of Americans believe that Obama was "definitely" born in the United States with another 18% believing that he was "probably" born here. Not because American who aren't sure are racists as the claim has been made - but because Obama's actions and comments bring us to question a man whose sensibilities and ideas are not in line with mainstream America, and as a result - Americans question his place of birth.

Certainly the issue of race has come up - since liberals and Democrats are so deeply tied to "identity politics" rather than the content of a person's character. A good example may be Rev. Jesse Jackson, who ran for President in 1984 and in 1988. Whether he was born in the United States was never in question - while his policies may have been those I do not believe in - his comments or actions never gave anyone pause to wonder about his place of origin. Obama's do.

I think that it's time that all those who plan on running for the highest office of the land be required to show their birth certificate. Up until now we have trusted the candidates themselves that they were born here. This is no longer the case.

Update: While writing this article - President Obama has announced the assassination of Osama bin Laden. He and the United States military are to be congratulated. An action such as this - goes a long way to putting American concerns about Obama to rest.