‘Birther’ Stefan Cook vs. Obama
Is the Army’s decision to bench Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook a victory for those who claim Obama is ineligible to be president?
A portion of Barack Obama's birth certificate as released by his campaign
(Wikipedia Commons)
What happened
The Army revoked the Afghanistan deployment orders for Army reservist Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, the plaintiff in a lawsuit arguing that President Obama has no authority to send him to war because, he believes, Obama is not a “natural-born citizen” and thus not eligible to be president. (Columbus, Ga., Ledger-Enquirer) Cook’s lawyer, leading “birther” Orly Taitz, said the Army’s move is proof that Obama was not born in Hawaii. (Military.com)
What the commentators said
This is a “bombshell”—the military isn’t backing Obama’s legitimacy as commander-in-chief, said Chelsea Schilling and Joe Kovacs in WorldNetDaily. If Obama wants to quash this growing controversy, all he has to do is release his “true ‘long-form’ birth certificate,” as Cook requested. Until then, Cook has a point: It would be illegal for him to follow an illegitimate president’s orders.
This is a “massive scam,” and Cook will get nailed for it, said Doug Mataconis in Below the Beltway. He claims that Obama “forced” him to deploy, but it turns out he volunteered to go to Afghanistan in May, then sued to get out of it in July, when he could have just asked. Why? He’s a “birther” wingnut who wanted standing to sue Obama over the birth certificate.
It’s bad enough that Cook is shamefully “crossing the boundary between duty and personal politics,” said Greg Skilling in Examiner.com. But he’s also putting U.S. soldiers at risk by advancing the “unfounded” argument that they are “war criminals” for following an illegitimate president. The birthers’ claims have been soundly debunked, and military officers only get to overturn the Electoral College in dictatorships.
Stefan Cook is a “criminal,” but Obama isn’t helping by adding to the “paranoia of the birthers,” said Jonn Lilyea in This Ain’t Hell. It’s understandable that the Army, and the Obama administration, want to be free of that “crackpot” Taitz, but they must know how bad it looks to revoke Cook’s deployment.
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97 Comments
Posted by Scott, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 10:09 am Hey Obama Why are you hiding your original birth certificate? No, not the COLB your original long form birth certificate! Is it true that you were born in Mombasa, Kenya? Per Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, you must be a natural born citizen to serve as President. If you are, PROVE IT!
Posted by Captain Steve, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:05 am OBAMA, STOP HIDING. SHOW US THE LONG FORM BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!!!
Posted by jj, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:18 am I don't know ANYONE who has lost their birth certificate. And, is he claiming thats the case? If not, is he claiming Hawaii lost the original? If not, what IS the story? Why the fuss if there is nothing to hide? My birth certificate original long form has nothing incriminating on it that I would want to hide from anyone! And I don't know anyone who is in that position either. It all makes you ask, What is Mr Obama hiding?Or, the other possibility, he loves controversy! Either one is not good.He's not my CIC until he proves it.
Posted by Kevin T. Keith, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:21 am I've always had a mild suspicion Obama is deliberately dodging this nonissue just to stoke the paranoid fantasies and conspiracy theories of the right wing. It's a trivial issue and one easy to debunk if it comes to that, but while it goes on it's so easy to suck the semiwhacko fringe the talkradio nuts and World Net Daily loonies into the issue, and they in turn bring in the fringey mainstreamers from the GOP. Without saying a word he lets the right wing show the world just how deeply infected by crazy they really are. Good politics!
Posted by bob dole, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:28 am John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone. In the unlikely event that he had been elected President, would the birthers have been as zealous to question his suitability to be CIC?
Posted by Andrew Poulson, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:37 am I am not a 'birther.' However, I was reading the court filing online, and there is a document stating President Obama's paternal grandmother was present at his birth in Kenya.So, I have to ask, what if Major Cook is correct?I believe no, make that I think Obama was vetted by somebody to ensure he was American born. However, I haven't been able to find that information.
Posted by Andrew Poulson, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:39 am bob dole,John McCain's father was serving in the military when he was born in Panama. Federal law allows for children of military and federal workers to run for president.
Posted by Josh, Thursday, July 16, 2009, 11:49 am Show us the long form Obama
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