(Ambinder's Blog) On Obama's Citizenship...
My immediate response to Marc would be that to understand Townhall is to understand that we represent a broad array of conservative voices and opinions. In fact, we do not even publish editorials or take editorial positions. What is more, clearly we have regular writers (Kathleen Parker, for example) who express viewpoints that I personally find absurd, offensive and often childish. Clearly some conservatives out there like her though -- so we still run her columns ...
This whole notion of Obama's birth certificate, however, is something I've been meaning to write about anyway, as I have grown very tired of seeing a few of our commenters dwell on this ridiculous rumor.
I am of the opinion that anyone advancing the notion that Obama is not a citizen, and thus not qualified to become president, is actually undermining the conservative cause. Sadly, this ridiculous "conspiracy theory" will only serve to undermine the legitimate attacks on Obama, by casting us all in the role of zealots.
All indications are that Obama was born in the state of Hawaii. His mother was clearly an American citizen. In many regards, Obama has more of a claim to be eligible for the presidency than did Barry Goldwater (born in the "Arizona territory"), George Romney (born in Mexico), or John McCain (born in the Panama Canal Zone)...
There are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize Obama, but dwelling on this ridiculous notion will only serve to undermine them.
To answer Marc's question of whether or not this is a legitimate question to ask, I would only reply that this is a legitimate topic if you believe in free speech. Moreover, it is not racist, sexist, or vulgar -- just (in my opinion) very destructive and unhelpful to those who care about advancing the cause of conservatism...