The birther episode, culminating with the president of the United States
releasing his birth certificate as Donald Trump claimed credit in a
split-screen on television, was as shameful as it can get.
I hope.
The birthers themselves, who never had any evidence Obama was lying
about the origin of his birth certificate, will thrive on a new green
piece of paper and the conspiracy will live on and on. But fortunately
the 2012 presidential field can now focus on the real issues. Trump’s
megaphone will no longer have the influence it would have. For
that, likely presidential contenders like former Gov. Tim Pawlenty
(R-Minn.), former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), former Sen. Rick Santorum
(R-Pa.) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) should thank
Obama.
President Obama is presiding over a still-fragile economic recovery with unemployment still too high and long-term unemployment never higher. He has entered a third war in the Middle East with little articulation, one month later, of his objectives there and of the definition of success. It has already been called a stalemate by the U.S. officials who understand it the most. Americans are paying high gas prices and wondering whether Obama is serious about tackling the debt as he urges the Congress to raise the debt ceiling, threatening doomsday. His stimulus and healthcare reform policies remain unpopular. Isn’t there enough reason to be critical of President Obama? Why, when no evidence existed to the contrary, did Trump grow more popular the more he championed the birther cause? Why did more Republicans not loudly attempt to silence the birthers?
Credit goes to the party’s grown-ups who spoke out before yesterday against the conspiracy — including Pawlenty, Romney, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Karl Rove and Bill Bennett. But the backlash didn’t start early enough and was not yet forceful enough to stop Trump from topping even himself yesterday in New Hampshire when the news broke. He was proud. He was honored. And still, he said, leaving more doors open, it had to be checked out.
If Americans want our democracy to become a reality TV show, it is well under way. Trump might feel that he won, and Obama might as well. But imagine what this looked like to the rest of the world. In poisonous political games like this, America loses no matter what.
WHO WILL APPEAR AT THE FIRST GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE NEXT WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA? Ask A.B. returns Tuesday, May 3. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and comments to askab@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com. Thank you.