FireDogLake's Mike Stark posted a great video today featuring clips of himself chasing down Republican members of Congress and asking whether they think Barack Obama is eligible to hold the presidency. It comes in response to the ongoing "birther" conspiracy theory in right-wing ciricles, which rests on the premise that Obama was born in Africa -- rather than Hawaii -- and therefore is not a "natural born citizen." (Josh Marshall effectively skewered the whole "controversy" over the weekend.)
When confronted by Stark in the video, many Republican congressmen simply refuse to take a clear position on the issue and, in some cases, they seem to share the birthers' concerns. GOP Rep. Aaron Schock makes a cameo and seems to fall in the first camp. He initially tells Stark, "That's a question he [Obama] needs to answer, not me." Schock goes on to say, "Well, he was my U.S. Senator. He said he was [a citizen], so I believe he was."
The whole video is worth your while:
On a related note, the Tribune's Eric Zorn recently asked six Republican candidates for Illinois governor whether they share the birthers' concerns. Read their answers.
Comments
Brian G (not verified) on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 09:29
Billy Dennis over at Peoria Pundit, had a keen observation. Schock does know how easy it is to forge documents. Remember the foreign tax shelter that some G.O.P. candidate for Congress created which Schock back dated for his father.
Chicago Cynic (not verified) on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 09:38
Et tu Aaron. I saw this piece last night and was shocked that even a guy who spent years working with Barack would be so shameless.
DWB (not verified) on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 09:14
The original "Birthers" signed their names to "The Constitution Of The United States Of America".
Clearing the Smoke on Obama’s Eligibility: An Intelligence Investigator’s June 10 Report
http://www.westernjournalism.com/?page_id=2697
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