Obama Birth Certificate: Arizona Officials Revisit President's Eligibility To Hold Office

PHOENIX -- Arizona officials are jumping back into a persistent, yet debunked controversy over President Barack Obama's birth certificate and his eligibility to hold office.

A legislative committee on Wednesday endorsed a proposal that requires presidential candidates to swear that they meet the qualifications to be the nation's chief executive.

And the Arizona secretary of state is expected in the coming days to call for candidates to complete a new form asking eligibility questions, including whether they are natural-born U.S. citizens.

The widely-disproved notion that the president was born abroad rather than in Hawaii, as state officials have repeatedly confirmed, comes up regularly in Arizona. Most recently, the man known as "America's Toughest Sheriff" released a report from a volunteer posse challenging the authenticity of the president's birth certificate.

In the past, political parties drafted their own certification documents that Arizona officials say didn't consistently address the issue of qualifications.

"There has been a lot of media attention devoted to this, so we wanted to make sure there is a standardized form," said Matthew Roberts, a spokesman for Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett.

It's unclear whether other states require such forms. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Democratic National Committee officials for comment were not immediately successful.

The controversy over the validity of Obama's birth certificate and eligibility – started by what critics call the "birther movement" – gained steam in Arizona last year when the Legislature passed a bill requiring presidential candidates to prove their citizenship before their names can appear on the state's ballot.

The proposal was vetoed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who called the measure "a bridge too far."

Recently, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose immigration patrols have generated a political firestorm and are the subject of a federal lawsuit, brought new attention to the controversy.

Arpaio this month said an investigation conducted by a volunteer posse revealed probable cause to suspect Obama's birth certificate is a forgery. Days later, it was revealed that Arpaio's lead investigator was selling his report on the investigation as a book.

The controversy has been widely debunked, yet remains alive for some conservatives who maintain that Obama is ineligible to hold the nation's highest office because, they contend, he was born in Kenya, his father's homeland.

Hawaii officials have regularly verified Obama's citizenship, and the White House released a copy of the president's long-form birth certificate in April in an attempt to quell the issue. Courts also have rebuffed lawsuits over the issue.

The latest legislative effort in Arizona to confront Obama's eligibility would require political parties to file an affidavit swearing under penalty of perjury that their presidential and vice presidential candidates are qualified to hold the positions. It also would let any voter in Arizona file a lawsuit challenging an affidavit.

If it were to get the governor's signature, the requirements of the bill would apply to this year's presidential contest. Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson declined to say whether the governor would sign the bill if it clears the Legislature.

Republican Rep. Carl Seel of Phoenix, the author of last year's vetoed bill and this year's measure, said a similar requirement would apply to all candidates for public office in Arizona and ensure the integrity of all races.

"It's about all candidates and preserving the integrity of our ballot for all candidates," Seel said shortly before the Senate's government reform committee approved his bill on a 4-2 vote.

The bill faces a vote by one more Senate committee. Then, if it's approved by the full Senate, it heads to the state House for consideration.

Democratic Sen. David Lujan of Phoenix, who voted against the bill, rejected Seel's arguments, saying, "It's clear from Rep. Seel's comments in committee that he still wants to challenge the validity of President Obama's birth certificate even though I, and – I believe – the vast majority of Americans, believe the issue is settled."

Comments

[SoccerNana]

04:03 PM on 05/21/2012

To the citizens of Arizona who want to have Bennett inquire about Willard "Myth" Romney's long-form birth certificate, you may contact the AZ Secretary of State as follows:

Telephone: [phone]

FAX: [phone]

[Brock Powers]

10:46 AM on 05/21/2012

the issue was never settled, it was simply ignored...again.

[PeaceG]

02:50 AM on 05/20/2012

Arizona: the new home of stupid

[jferko777]

02:24 PM on 05/09/2012

I am of the belief that Obama was not born of Stanley Ann Dunham, but instead placed with
her family of Communists and raised for the sole purpose of gaining the White House and
destroying America! Remember when Stanley's friend said she arrived at her home with a new
baby that she did not reallly know how to change a diaper for? The friend said that she appearedto be returning to Hawaii. My theory is that she made the trip to pick up ?(whoever
he really is) and to talk about Obama, Sr., like she had an affair and married him. It was
reported that she was seen in a bikini in August of 1961 and obviously not pregnant. Too much appears to be staged and too much left to be questioned

[Bruce R]

07:19 PM on 04/30/2012

Now there is a slanted piece of journalism. Complete with predetermined answers that they insist the ill informed and those who have not looked at the factual evidence, accept as truth. Shame on you JACQUES BILLEAUD. You write a story like this means you have, at least, briefly examined why an increasingly growing number of truly concerned citizens believe the opposite of your story. My faith in that would beg why you have set aside the fundamental aspect of journalism at the expense of your character, integrity, and credibility. I hope to one day turn the recently introduced "Depatriotism Act" on its unintended use to have you stripped of your citizenship for your treasonous promotion of what you know to be false.

[Floridarooster]

12:19 PM on 04/22/2012

You people are in denial and so committed to Obama that you ignore facts. Sheriff Apaio's report presented evidence in great detail that the birth certificate released by Obama in 2011 was forged, as was his Selective Service registration. Flight records strangely missing. A Connecticut Social Security number when he never lived there. Obama's entire background has been sealed - passport, education, work background, papers written, etc.
Obama,his advisors , and the media have not taken issue with the evidence - they conveniently ignore it or marginalize the source of the evidence.
Doesn't all of this start to bother you? Don't you have questions about Obama's eligibility? Don't you think it is possible that forgeries were presented to try to legitimize his citizenship?

[spacegh0st1]

10:38 PM on 04/15/2012

NOT FROM THIS COUNTRY....HIS DAD HAD 4 WIFE'S...HOW DO YOU GET A BROTHER THAT LIVES IN SOMALA AND DIPSHITS THINK HE'S AMERICAN???? HE IS A COMMY..

[ihavecoffeee]

12:11 AM on 04/10/2012

didnt obama change is his name from berry soto or something like that

[WinstonCourt]

02:21 AM on 03/30/2012

I think the title of this article, and the way everything is going, especially the missing air travel records to Hawaii, right at obama’s supposedly birth date in Hawaii says it all!

There are missing records everywhere, the missing Kenya birth records, the missing transportation records, etc. And, I bet there is missing records in the clerks/recorder office of Hawaii, the hospital(s) in Hawaii where he was supposedly born!

Are there missing records at the colleges he attended? Are there other missing records?

What about the selective service records which Arpaio has requested, is there a “strange” case of missing records there, also? SOMETHING TELLS ME THIS MIGHT JUST GET BIG!!!!!

Yep, the truth, once you take a close look is staring you RIGHT IN THE FACE!

[bdaved]

05:26 PM on 03/30/2012

I was just enjoying reading John Woodman's destruction of your argument in the comments here:
http://www.obamabirthbook.com/http:/www.obamabirthbook.com/2012/03/the-bottom-line-regarding-barack-obamas-eligibility-to-be-president-the-meaning-of-natural-born-citizen-and-the-birther-movement/#comment-1092

[WinstonCourt]

09:18 AM on 03/23/2012

Actually, it is just never ending. Here you have a criminal with so much evidence of crime and guilt that it is difficult to view it all!

http://obfelony.webs.com/

This is NOT going to go away ... in America crimes just don't go away ...

[bdaved]

05:27 PM on 03/30/2012

Try taking that to court and see what happens.

[mmrthunderbolt]

11:03 AM on 03/22/2012

Obviously Obama's citizenship is forged, or officals would back off.

[WinstonCourt]

07:21 PM on 03/22/2012

Correct. Before you can argue any issue, you must first understand everything involved.

This article pretty well covers it ALL, make sure you find the link and read all four pages of this article. Then, you can research the facts and know:

http://www.beaufortobserver.net/publicationreturnframe.lasso?-token.address=http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/07-03-2012/120708-arizona_sheriff_obama-0/

The only SHOCKING crime is how main scream news is ignoring a crime bigger than nixons' watergate!:

http://times247.com/articles/forgerygate-ignoring-arpaio-s-report-is-a-scandal-in-itself

[bdaved]

05:30 PM on 03/30/2012

Ah, Dianna Cotter:
http://birtherthinktank.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/the-dianna-is-back-in-the-ssr-or-shpekin-of-the-postman/

[KenLowJr]

12:09 PM on 03/20/2012

If the citizens of Arizona agree with the proceedings of their elected officials, then so be it. But, if they are alarmed at the actions of their officials then it is within their power and responsibility to recall or vote them out of office. As shown by the proposed legislations and statements made by such popular figures like Arpaio, the electorate is supportive of such actions. And whether or not the rest of the United States agrees, it does show the democratic process at work. Sigh.

[sjaent2001]

06:10 PM on 03/19/2012

""""Obama Birth Certificate: Arizona Officials Revisit President's Eligibility To Hold Office"""---------

Several years ago we had an instance in CA, and the term REVERSE DISCRIMINATION ----- was originated in a case involving admissions to colleges.
Now AZ is following the trend and creating --- REVERSE IMMIGRATION due to their own "discrimination" ----- they are now expanding their state jurisdictional powers to the Federal Administration --- this time not the Spanish of their own state but the President fo the United States ------So God help all of US from this AZ REVERSE IMMIGRATION DISCRIMINATION.

[WinstonCourt]

01:28 PM on 03/19/2012

http://times247.com/articles/forgerygate-ignoring-arpaio-s-report-is-a-scandal-in-itself

The courts should imprison public servants who forge birth certificates and post them on the whitehouse website!

[bdaved]

05:30 PM on 03/30/2012

Nobody's done that.

[msminnie]

05:56 AM on 03/19/2012

The government- state, federal or whatever- should penalize these states that keep "revisiting" resolved issues like Obama's birth. Charge the officials with crimes for wasting their constituents' tax dollars or cease funding to whatever cause they're ignoring in their pursuit to change the past to fit their warped vision of reality.

[fluffiengland]

11:07 AM on 03/19/2012

I totally agree, there should be some penalties. At this point, those officials that were voted into office, and continue to pursue this "birther" issue, jobs should be in question.

[msminnie]

03:28 PM on 03/19/2012

They don't even deserve being "voted out of office" as long as they continue to use the public's money to further personal agendas.

[WinstonCourt]

01:40 PM on 03/19/2012

I am sure all law abiding citizens can agree:
1) Evidence of crimes means we investigate these crimes until we KNOW FOR CERTAIN if a crime has been committed.
2) ALL Americans are subject to the law, and are NOT allowed to break the law -- this, ESPECIALLY, mean our public servants.
3) It is proper for our law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes, THIS IS THEIR JOB!

[msminnie]

03:21 PM on 03/19/2012

Wouldn't that be ideal? I'm close to a lot of individuals in law enforcement and I'm frustrated and angry at how political their jobs can be. I truly believe our "law and order" officials try hard to follow the laws but, as with everything controlled by our elected officials, there are too many shades of grey when it's really black and white.

Not to pick on attorneys but there is a legal remedy for EVERYTHING, whether there is a legitimate claim or not, as evidenced by the Obama Birth Certificate non-issue. Someone HAS to put an end to this legal run around. Birthers aren't even running at the issue from different angles, just looping back around every time they are thwarted. Enough!