Obama releases long form birth certificate

WASHINGTON -- Responding to critics' relentless claims, President Barack Obama yesterday produced a detailed Hawaii birth certificate in an extraordinary attempt to bury the issue of where he was born and confirm his legitimacy to hold office.

He declared, "We do not have time for this kind of silliness."

By going on national TV from the White House, Obama portrayed himself as a voice of reason amid a loud, lingering debate on his birth status. Though his personal attention to the issue elevated it as never before, Obama said to Republican detractors and the media, it is time to move on to bigger issues.

Citing big federal budget decisions, Obama said, "I am confident that the American people and America's political leaders can come together in a bipartisan way and solve these problems. . . . But we're not going to be able to do it if we are distracted."

Obama spoke shortly after the White House released a copy of the long form of his birth certificate, which contains more data than a version released earlier.

The certificate says Obama was born to an American mother and Kenyan father, in Hawaii, which makes him eligible to be president. Obama released a standard short form before his 2008 election but requested copies of his original birth certificate from Hawaii officials this week.

Until yesterday, the White House had insisted that the short form certificate was the only legal document needed toconfirm Obama's birth.

But "birthers" opposed to Obama have kept the issue alive. Potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently began questioning why Obama hadn't ensured the long form was released.

From New Hampshire, Trump took credit for getting Obama to act. "He should have done it a long time ago. I am really honored to play such a big role in hopefully, hopefully getting rid of this issue," Trump said.