White House releases Obama 'birth certificate' (tea party central)

BORN IN THE USA?

Cites Kapiolani as location, father's race as 'African'

Posted: April 27, 2011
9:23 am Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2011 WorldNetDaily

The White House today released a copy of President Obama's "Certificate of Live Birth," a document that for the first time claims Kapiolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital as the president's birth place.

Released by the White House

The White House confirmed the document as "proof positive" the president was born in Hawaii.

According to White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, Obama decided the full document was needed because of the growing questions about the president's birth.

He described how there had been concern about the Internet "chatter" that had grown into a national political debate.

He said the president thought it was becoming a "distraction" from the issues that face the nation.

On April 22, Obama sent a letter to Hawaii authorities asking for the document.

"The President directed his counsel to review the legal authority for seeking access to the long form certificate  and to request on that basis that the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long form birth certificate. They granted that exception in part because of the tremendous volume of requests they had been getting," Pfeiffer said in a statement.

Real estate entrepreneur Donald Trump, a possible GOP Republican candidate in 2012, has been asking questions about Obama's documentation for several weeks now.

"First we have to look at the certificate," he said. "I want to look at it, but I hope it's true, so we can get to more important national issues."

"Why he didn't do it when the Clintons asked for it. Why he didn't do it when everyone else was asking about it, I don't know," he said.

President Barack Obama in the Oval Office April 4, 2011

"You're going to have many people looking at it …. It's amazing that all of a sudden it materializes. Experts will look at it … and I'm very proud that I was able to bring this to a point."

The issue has been dogging Obama since before his election, and WND has reported on the multitude of lawsuits and other challenges to the president's tenure in the Oval Office. They center on his status as a "natural born citizen."

The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."

If the document proves valid, it could answer the questions raised by those who have alleged he was not actually born in Hawaii. But it also could prove his ineligibility because of its references to his father. Some of the cases challenging Obama have explained that he was a dual citizen through his father at his birth, and they contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born citizens.

Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, the only news agency that has waged a relentless investigative campaign on questions swirling around the Obama’s eligibility for nearly three years, was elated at the turn of events.

"We're gratified that our work has begun to pay off," he said. "Thecertificate of live birthis an absolutely vital foundation for determining constitutional eligibility of any president. We look forward to reviewing it like so many other Americans do at this late date. But it is important to remember there are still dozens of other questions concerning this question of eligibility that need to be resolved to assure what has become a very skeptical public concerning Barack Obama’s parentage, hisadoption, his citizenship status throughout his life and why he continues to cultivate a culture of secrecy around his life."

Obama, addressing the White House press corps, said, "Normally, I would not comment on something like this."

"We posted the certificate that is given by the state of Hawaii on the Internet for everybody to see. Provided an affidavit that they have seen it. Yet this thing just keeps on going."

He boasted of giving a speech about the budget and the nation's debt, but lamented, "during that entire week, the dominant news story wasn't about these huge monumental choices we have to make as a nation, it was about my birth certificate."

He said the nation can't solve problems if "we spend time vilifying each other … if we just make stuff up and pretend facts are not facts … if we get distracted by side shows and carnival barkers."

The Washington Times described Obama as "visibly frustrated" and noted that a recent CBS News-New York Times poll showed 45 percent of registered Republican voters believe Obama was not born in the U.S.

"I know that there's going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest, but I'm speaking to the vast majority of the American people," Obama said. "We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do."

Obama was scheduled today to travel to Chicago to appear on the Oprah television show.

"The news media and the political establishment were quick to rush to judgment regarding Obama's eligibility in 2008, without any basis. It would be a big mistake for everyone to jump to a conclusion now based on the release of this document, which raises as many questions as it answers," Farah added.

Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate (tea party central)

 BORN IN THE USA?

Suggests controversy could hurt president's re-election chances

---

Posted: January 18, 2011
8:05 pm Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2011 WorldNetDaily

Neil Abercrombie

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published today that a long-form, hospital-generatedbirth certificate for Barack Obamamay not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health.

Abercrombie told theHonolulu Star Advertiserhe was searching within the Hawaii Department of Health to find definitive vital records that would prove Obama was born in Hawaii, because the continuing eligibility controversy could hurt the president's chances of re-election in 2012.

Donalyn Dela Cruz, Abercrombie's spokeswoman in Honolulu, ignored again today another in a series of repeated requests made by WND for an interview with the governor.

Toward the end of the interview, the newspaper asked Abercrombie: "You stirred up quite a controversy with your comments regarding birthers and your plan to release more information regarding President Barack Obama's birthcertificate. How is that coming?"

In his response, Abercrombie acknowledged the birthcertificateissue will have "political implications" for the next presidential election "that we simply cannot have."

Suggesting he was still intent on producing morebirth recordson Obama from the Hawaii Department of Health vital records vault, Abercrombie told the newspaper there was a recording of the Obama birth in the state archives that he wants to make public

Abercrombie did not report to the newspaper that he or the Hawaii Department of Health had found Obama's long-form, hospital-generated birthcertificate. The governor only suggested his investigations to date had identified an unspecified listing or notation of Obama's birth that someone had made in the state archives.

"It was actually written, I am told, this is what our investigation is showing, it actually exists in the archives, written down," Abercrombie said.

For seemingly the first time, Abercrombie frankly acknowledged that presidential politics motivated his search for Obamabirth records, implying that failure to resolve the questions that remain unanswered about the president's birth and early life may damage his chance for re-election.

"If there is a political agenda (regarding Obama's birthcertificate), then there is nothing I can do about that, nor can the president," he said.

So far, the only birth document available on Obama is a Hawaii Certification of Live Birth that first appearedon the Internetduring the 2008 presidential campaign. It was posted by two purportedly independent websites that have displayed a strong partisan bias for Obama –Snopes.com released the COLB in June 2008, and FactCheck.org published photographs of the document in August 2008.

WND previously reportedthe Hawaii Department of Health has refused to authenticate the COLB posted on the Internet by Snopes.com and FactCheck.org.

WND has reported that in 1961, Obama's grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, could have made an in-person report of a Hawaii birth even if the infant Barack Obama Jr. had been foreign-born.

Similarly, the newspaper announcements of Obama's birth do not prove he was born in Hawaii, since they could have been triggered by the grandparents registering the birth as Hawaiian, even if the baby was born elsewhere.

Moreover,WND has documentedthat the address reported in the newspaper birth announcements was the home of the grandparents.

WND also has reported that Barack Obama Sr. maintained his own separate apartment in Honolulu, even after he was supposedly married to Ann Dunham, Barack Obama's mother, and tha tDunham left Hawaii within three weeks of the baby's birth to attend the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dunham did not return to Hawaii until after Barack Obama Sr. left Hawaii in June 1962 to attend graduate school at HarvardUniversityin Cambridge, Mass.

Conceivably, the yet undisclosed birth record in the state archives that Abercrombie has discovered may have come from the grandparents registering Obama's birth, an event that would have triggered both the newspaper birth announcements and availability of a Certification of Live Birth, even if no long-form birthcertificateexisted.

WND has also reported that Tim Adams, a former senior elections clerk for the city and county of Honolulu in 2008, has maintained that there is no long-form, hospital-generated birthcertificateon file with the Hawaii Department of Health and that neither Honolulu hospital – Queens Medical Center or Kapiolani Medical Center – has any record that Obama was born there.

Bush Economist Schools Bush, Republicans: Domestic Oil Drilling Won’t Lower Gas Prices

By Tanya Somanader at 12:40 pm

President George W. Bush stepped away from the ranch yesterday to “opine on the issues of the day” with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. First up, a lesson on Texas tea. Bush suggested Americans try to “understand how supply and demand works” and realize that offshore drilling is key solution to rising gas prices. “If you restrict supplies of crude, the price of oil is going to go up and it affects gasoline,” he said.
But, in what is becoming an unfortunate pattern for the ex-president, his own former administration official disagrees. Doug Holtz-Eakin, the White House’s Chief Economistunder Bush, joined MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Tuesday to discuss the problem of rising gas prices. When asked whether the conservative “dig, drill” mantra would actually lead to lower gas prices, Holtz-Eakin — who was also the cheif economic adviser for Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) 2008 presidential campaign — offered a simple answer: “no“:

MATTHEWS: If we were taking apart the ANWR and drilling everywhere, would the price of gas be much different? In the world market, since this all fungible, if we were doing all that here in the United States, would the price of gas be much different? I‘m just asking that question.
HOLTZ-EAKIN: No, he can‘t change the price very much. So, I mean, he‘s trying to do things—
MATTHEWS: But the conservatives are saying all you have to do is pump like—all you got to do is drill like—Pawlenty said, just got at this, dig, dig, and dig, drill, drill, and drill, and somehow the price of the gas is going to down on the world market. You‘re saying that‘s not true?
HOLTZ-EAKIN: Well, I mean, you can‘t change the oil price very much with the U.S. exploration. It certainly can‘t change it quickly. We know that. And I think Republicans have been honest about that.

Watch it:

Holtz-Eakin is correct that increased oil and gas drilling won’t lower gas prices because the amount of extra oil produced is minuscule compared to consumption. Indeed, any extra oil the U.S. managed to produce would be quickly offset by a cut in OPEC production. “This drill drill drill thing is tired,” said the Oil Price Information Service’s chief oil analyst Tom Kloza. “It’s a simplistic way of looking for a solution that doesn’t exist.” The idea that “Republicans have been honest about that”, however, leavessomething (like veracity) to be desired.
Holtz-Eakin also told Matthews that, though he didn’t believe it’d affect gas prices, he would get rid of the billions in subsidies for Big Oil. “You’ve got to have a tax reform at the levels of the playing field. We know that,” he added. But given the number ofRepublicans that remain opposed to that, it seems he must be using the royal “we.”

Allen West To Town Hall: ‘If You Support Medicare…You Can Kiss The United States Of America Goodbye’

By Travis Waldron at 11:40 am

As Republicans across the country face a backlashfrom voters in their home in their districts for supporting the Medicare-ending GOP budget, Florida Rep. Allen West (R) has attempted to squash protesters and avoid tough questions at his town halls. In Ft. Lauderdale Tuesday, West only answered pre-screened questions that were read aloud by a staffer. In Boca Raton last night, protesters were removed from the town hall before it began.
But the preventive measures didn’t stop West from having to defend his vote last night, telling attendees that those who are fighting to save Medicare as we know it are putting the United States on a path toward destruction:

WEST: I gotta tell you something: if you support Medicare the way it is now, you can kiss the United States of America goodbye.

Watch WPTV’s report:


Voters in West’s district have plenty to be angry about. In the past month, West voted against funding the government, thus risking a shutdown, announced that he was willing to hold the debt ceiling hostage over corporate tax breaks, and voted to end Medicare while extending tax breaks to the wealthy. Now, he’s accused Medicare beneficiaries, along with those who support the widely popular program, of contributing to the country’s downfall.
Unfortunately for West, facts tell a different story. The GOP budget attempts to save money not by curbing health costs, but by shifting those costs to senior citizens. The Congressional Budget Office found that most seniors would pay more for health careunder the Republican plan, with 65-year-olds in 2022 paying double what a 65-year-old pays now. Meanwhile, ending Medicare as we know it would have an adverse effect on the nation’s health care costs, as the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that it would increase health care costs by $34 trillion over the next 75 years.
As the Wonk Room’s Igor Volsky reported, Republicans like West are following ideologyinstead of fact in their dismantling of Medicare. In 2009 and 2010, Republicans used scare tactics to drum up opposition to a health reform plan that actually will curb costs and expand access, the Affordable Care Act. In 2011, with voters targeting them, West and his Republican colleagues are using similar scare tactics to protect a plan that does just the opposite.

Trump To Black Journalist: ‘I Know You’re A Big Obama Fan’

By Judd Legum at 3:09 pm

Yesterday during his press conference in New Hampshire –- after the cable news networks cut to President Obama’s remarks regarding the release of his long form birth certificate — potential GOP presidential candiate Donald Trump spent some time extolling infrastructure investments made by China and other countries, suggesting the U.S. should follow suit. This prompted Les Trent, a reporter for Inside Edition, to ask Trump: “Isn’t that what President Obama tried to do with his stimulus package?”
Trump’s response to Trent, who is African American, was “Look, I know you are a big Obama fan.” Trent replied, “Why do you say that?”
Here’s the transcript of the exchange:

TRUMP:When was the last time – if you go to China, as an example – bridges being built, massive bridges. When is the last time we built a bridge in this country, other than a little toy.
LES TRENT: Isn’t that what President Obama tried to do with his stimulus package?
TRUMP: The President… Look I know you are a big Obama fan.The president doesn’t know what he’s doing.
LES TRENT: Why do you say that?
TRUMP: Because of your question. The President doesn’t know what he is doing.

Watch it:





In an interview with ThinkProgress about the exchange, Trent said, “I think race was a factor. … I’m just assuming, I mean I have no way of knowing that. But I just don’t understand why he said that to me and not anyone else.”

The incident appears to be part of a pattern of recent racially-tinged comments by Trump.
With additional reporting by Alex Seitz-Wald

UPDATELast night, on CBS Evening News, Face the Nation host and CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer criticized Trump's recent statements regarding Obama'scollege transcripts, saying race was Trump's underlying motive:

"That's just code for saying he got into law school because he's black.This is an ugly strain of racism that's running through this whole thing. We can hope that kind of comes to an end too, but we'll have to see," Schieffer said.

Trump responded today, saying he wasn't suggesting anything about Obama's race:

"That is a terrible statement for a newscaster to make. I am the last person that such a thing should be said about." [...] "Affirmative action is out there. It's a program that is available. But I have no idea whether it applies in this case. I'm not suggesting anything."

Oklahoma GOP Lawmaker Sally Kern: ‘Blacks’ Don’t Work As Hard As White People

By Alex Seitz-Wald at 10:43 am

The Republican-controlled Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a proposed constitutional amendment yesterday that wouldeliminate Affirmative Action in state government. The offical GOP reasoning for the change is that while “discrimination exists,” “I don’t think Affirmative Action has been as successful as we like to believe,” the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. T.W. Shannon (R), explained. But perpetual extremist state Rep. Sally Kern (R) offered her argument for ending the system that helps minorities advance: “blacks” simply don’t work as hard as whites:

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said minorities earn less than white people because they don’t work as hard and have less initiative.
“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”
Kern said women earn less than men because “they tend to spend more time at home with their families.”

While Kern has long history of taking outlandish positions — from saying homosexuality is more dangerous than terrorism to introducing legislation to force teachers to question evolution — her bigoted comments reflect a disturbing trendamong even mainstream conservatives to blame valuable social safety net programs for creating a culture of dependency or even “slavery.” (h/t: reader Dustin)

UPDATEWatch Kern's remarks on blacks:

KERN: We have heard tonight already that in prison there's more black people. Yes, there are, and that's tragic, it's tragic that our prisons here in Oklahoma, what are they, 99% occupancy? But the other side of the story, perhaps this is something we need to consider: is this just because they are black that they're in prison or because they don't want to work hard in school? White people oftentimes don't want to work hard in school, or Asians, oftentimes. A lot of times, that's what happens. I've taught school for twenty years, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn't want to work as hard, they wanted it given to them. As a matter of fact I had one student who said, "I don't need to study, you know why? Because the government is gonna care of me." That's kind of revealing there. Equal opportunity, not equal results.

Kern asserting that "women usually don't want to work as hard as a man":

KERN: You see, women usually don't want to work as hard as a man, because, now I mean, now get me, wait a minute, now listen to me, women, hang on, women tend to think a little bit more about their family, wanting to be at home more time, want to have a little more leisure time, that's all I mean. I'm not saying women don't work hard. I think women work very hard, so don't take that the wrong way. But that's fact as you have to keep in mind, okay? Women like to be willing to have a moderate work life with plenty of time for spouse and children and other things like that, that's all I meant, okay. They work very hard. But sometimes they aren't willing to commit all their life to a job like a lot of men do. That's all I meant by that. All right.

IS PAUL RYAN DELUSIONAL?

Bltwy, Thursday, April 28, 2011, 8:59am (PDT)

The budget-slashing congressman seems to think he's beyond the normal rules of politics. Jack Germond on why he's crazy to take on Medicare.

A lot of us thought Newt Gingrich retired the cup for Egregious Political Hubris a generation ago. When he led the Republicans in capturing control of the House in 1994, you would have thought he invented the game. It was hard to take.

Today, however, we have Paul Ryan and his cohorts who seem to think they have rewritten the laws of politics and, more to the point, behave as if they control the government, not just their own bailiwick. Their message is that they were elected for a purpose so sacred it is beyond moral challenge. We shall see.

Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, has won plaudits for coming forward with a comprehensive plan for putting the nation on the road to fiscal sanity. And, to the extent that he has framed the argument, he deserves that credit. No one is questioning his sincerity.

But what he is saying with this bizarre proposal is that he intends to reinvent the wheel and has carte blanche from the election returns. What he is saying, in effect, is that political history can be ignored-and that the majority has an unfettered right to exercise a tyranny over the minority.

In fact, among heavyweights of both parties in Washington, there has been a rough consensus for years on what needs to be done to preserve the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs. The thinking among Republicans as well as Democrats has been that reform of the entitlement programs could only be done in a White House second term when the president could lead without worrying about slipping into political oblivion. Some of us have memories of Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan 30 years ago, telling reporters over a friendly glass that only a lame duck could lead the way with any hope of success.

Ryan and his allies seem to think they have tapped a fresh spring of popular resentment of federal spending.

That has not worked out. George W. Bush had no appetite for heavy lifting-though he did try, and fail, to privatize Social Security-and Bill Clinton was too compromised by his penchant for playing slap-and-tickle with a young intern. But there was never any mystery about what needed to be done to deal with the entitlement problem-changes in qualifying for benefits and means tests for later generations of recipients, plus higher payroll taxes for the wealthy.

In other words, the political balm of reassurance for the elderly and those close to retirement or inclined to worry early about their dotage.

From the viewpoint of the beneficiaries, Medicare has been extremely popular. If it ain't broke, etc, etc. The current Republican notion of the codgers happily using a voucher to buy their own coverage privately boggles the mind-unless, of course, your mind has been clouded by the delirium of winning an election. Even Newt Gingrich was never that giddy.

The fundamental flaw in Ryan's plan is that he wants to do more than make Social Security and Medicare actuarially sound for the long haul. He wants use them to solve the deficit problem. The Republicans seem to believe they were elected to reach a balanced budget without raising taxes on the affluent or large corporations-indeed, the Wisconsin congressman wants to slash taxes further-and without cutting the Defense Department, which even the powers at the Pentagon recognize can be prudently reduced.

Chairman Ryan and his allies seem to think they have tapped a fresh spring of popular resentment of federal spending. In fact, that anger has been evident even in flush times when the debt wasn't counted in billions. In a letter to Mario Cuomo 20 years ago, Moynihan described the Social Security program as "the great success of Big government in our time: Fifty years of benefits now, never a day late or a dollar short," then added: "Yet a majority of unretired adults do not believe benefits will be there when they retired."

If Moynihan were alive today, he would see that nothing has changed. These Republicans still frighten voters with visions of an old age in poverty and frailty. They still equate profligate spending on defense with "supporting our troops," and they still insist raising taxes on the richest Americans will "hurt the economy."

When enough people believe such nonsense, it's easy to think you can get away with anything, for a while anyway.

Jack Germond has been covering national politics and Washington since 1960. He spent 20 years with the Gannett papers, then eight with the still-lamented Washington Star and more than 20 with the Baltimore Sun. He and his partner Jules Witcover wrote a syndicated column five days a week from 1977 through 2000, and four books about the 1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992 presidential campaigns. Germond's memoir is called Fat Man in a Middle Seat-Forty Years of Covering Politics; he has just completed his first novel. He and his wife Alice live on the Shenandoah River in West Virginia where he enjoys watching the birds and playing the horses.

THE DEMOCRATS' GIFFORDS SENATE PUZZLE

DailyBeast, Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 8:07pm (PDT)

By David A. Graham

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was long seen as a savior for the Arizona Democratic Party. Democrats haven't had a senator from the state since 1995. Giffords, however, was the total package: charismatic, energetic, a moderate in a purple state, and a great fundraiser to boot. Sen. Jon Kyl's seat was up in 2012, and she was seen as a candidate who could defeat him. If Kyl retired, all the better: She might even be a shoo-in.

Related story on The Daily Beast: Giffords' Plea for Brain-Injured Soldiers

But the January shooting of Giffords in Tucson gave Arizona Democrats bigger things to focus on-Giffords' life chief among them. As reports of a "miraculous" recovery filtered out, some even kept hope alive that she might be ready for a triumphant return as the Grand Canyon State's newest senator.

Four months later, though, it's increasingly clear that Giffords won't be ready. But Arizona Democrats are still flatfooted, with all the likely candidates keeping quiet, waiting on Giffords and terrified that announcing a candidacy now would come across as insensitive and opportunistic-even as Republican Jeff Flake shores up his support and amasses an imposing war chest. Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva has been sounding the alarm for some time. "I think the heir apparent was Gabby Giffords. Her situation is different, obviously," he told The Hill two weeks ago. "We need to get a candidate quick, within the next month."

Giffords' office has repeatedly said it's too early in her recovery to make any comments about a campaign. But new revelations about the congresswoman over the weekend should hasten others to taking Grijalva's view. There was good news: Giffords' husband said she's eager to get back to work, and announced that she has been cleared to attend the Friday launch of the space shuttle he is commanding. But a blockbuster Arizona Republic story showed that while her progress is indeed extraordinary, she still has a long way to go. For example, Giffords seems to be able to think at nearly full capacity, but has trouble expressing herself verbally. The takeaway? There's much to celebrate, but Giffords is unlikely to be ready to barnstorm the state in a fierce campaign just months from today.

"They don't have that many Democrats in elected office, so the bench is weak."

Now Democratic figures in the state are scrambling to get a good candidate. Grijalva declined to be interviewed for this story, but other state Democrats acknowledge he's right: They need to get a candidate into the race fast if they hope to have a shot at the seat. With each passing day, what looked like a strong possibility for a Democratic pickup in a tough Senate election cyclegets tougher. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Arizona as a likely hold for the GOP.

"This is an open Senate seat and they don't come open that often," says Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "You look at a place like Arizona and they don't have that many Democrats in elected office, so the bench is weak."

But even without many current officeholders, around a dozen candidates are considering the race, says Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny. Nationally, the names being bandied about include folks likeSecretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, a former governor; Jim Pederson, who ran against Kyl in 2006 and is former chairman of the state party; Terry Goddard, who was twice elected state attorney general but wascreamed by Jan Brewer in the race for governor last year; and Fred DuVal, a Democratic activist. Grijalva said he'd urge Pederson and Goddard to run. But Napolitano, DuVal, and Pederson have all ruled themselves out, and insiders say a Goddard run looks unlikely, too-not least because Goddard doesn't have the thirst for fundraising that a Senate candidate will need.

So who's left? "I'm talking to people all the time about this race," Cherny says. "There's a lot of very strong, credible, potential candidates out there. A lot of conversations are happening behind the scenes." And he says there's plenty of time for Democrats to find a strong candidate.

Don Bivens, a lawyer and former chairman of the state party, seems like a sure bet. "We're all still rooting for Gabby to recover and run, but the clock is ticking, and we do need a plan B," he says. "We need a senator who will stand up for Arizona. I think I could provide that kind of strong and common-sense leadership." And while he insists he's still considering, Bivens has already met with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and current senators about running. He'll decide by Labor Day.

Rep. Ed Pastor, a Phoenix Democrat, is also a potential candidate. A spokeswoman said Pastor was still considering and wasn't ready to make any further statements. U.S Attorney Dennis Burke's name also seems to be on Democratic insiders' lips: Burke is young and like his mentor Napolitano-who held the same position-could move up in state ranks. But he's also busy prosecuting Jared Lee Loughner in the Giffords case. A source close to Burke wouldn't quite offer a Shermanesque denial on Burke's part, but seemed perplexed at the attention and said Burke wasn't concentrating on running for elected office.

Although he isn't talking about it publicly, Cherny is an ambitious young politician, too, and might want to jump in. At 21, he was the youngest White House speechwriter in history, and published a successful policy book in 2001. But Cherny also lost a 2010 race for state treasurer by 10 points.

"We are talking to a number of Democratic leaders in the state about the race and we are confident that a strong candidate will emerge," a DSCC spokesman said. He declined to say who the committee had spoken with besides Bivens.

At some point, the question for Democrats may be getting candidates to stop tiptoeing around Giffords and get into the race, rather than concentrating on recruiting the perfect figurehead. If they wait, the conventional wisdom that Flake can't lose will become entrenched, says Sabato. "If that is the prevailing wisdom and it holds, it will be over," he says. "These things have a way of becoming reality."

David Graham is a reporter for Newsweek covering politics, national affairs, and business. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The National in Abu Dhabi.

THE BARACK OBAMA BIRTHER ISSUE AS EXPLAINED BY CARTOONS

Obama finally caved to his critics' demands, releasing a detailed Hawaii birth certificate on Wednesday in the hopes that the document would silence Trump and other like-minded birthers. Could this signal an end to the long-standing birther movement? It may be too early to tell, but in the meantime, our favorite cartoonists break down the birther drama.

Links to documents involving President Obama

The article:

By Robert Farley
Published on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 at 9:01 a.m.

Share this article:

On April 27, 2011, the White House released President Barack Obama's long form birth certificate.

Here are some of the publicly available documents related to President Barack Obama:

The "Certificate of Live Birth" from the Hawaii Department of Health, released by the White House on April 27, 2011.

The "Certification of Live Birth" from the Hawaii Department of Health (released by the Obama campaign in June 2008).

Birth announcement in the Honolulu Advertiser, Aug. 13, 1961. "Mr. and Mrs. Barack H. Obama, 6085 Kalanianaole Highway, son, Aug. 4."

Birth announcement in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Aug. 14, 1961. "Mr. and Mrs. Barack H. Obama, 6085 Kalanianaole Highway, son, Aug. 4."

Obama's 1992 marriage certificate from the Cook County (Ill.) Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Obama's driver's license record from the Illinois Secretary of State's office.

Obama's registration and disciplinary record with the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois.

Photo of a State of Hawaii government binder holding the 1960-1964 birth listing at the State Department of Health in Honolulu.

Photo of a registration document from the Fransiskus Assisi school in Jakarta, Indonesia, which shows Barack Obama registered under the name Barry Soetoro by his step-father, Lolo Soetoro. It lists Barry Soetoro as an Indonesian citizen, born on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu; also that his step-father listed Barry Soetoro's religion as Islam.