In response to persistent questions from so-called "birthers," the White House released President Obama's long-form birth certificate via the White House blog.
The birth certificate also appears via SlideShare's Web site, as part of the White House's official account.
Normally, the state of Hawaii, where Obama was born, wouldn't release the official so-called "long-form" birth certificate; instead, the Obama administration previously posted the short form, also known as the Certification of Live Birth, in 2008.
"When any citizen born in Hawaii requests their birth certificate, they receive exactly what the President received," the White House said in a statement. "In fact, the document posted on the campaign website is what Hawaiians use to get a driver's license from the state and the document recognized by the Federal Government and the courts for all legal purposes. That's because it is the birth certificate. This is not and should not be an open question."
Obama addressed the issue in a press conference Wednesday. "Now, this issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now," he said, according to an official transcript. "I think it started during the campaign. And I have to say that over the last two and a half years I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going. We've had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this, confirm that, yes, in fact, I was born in Hawaii, August 4, 1961, in Kapiolani Hospital."
White House counsel reviewed the legal authority for seeking access to the long form certificate, normally kept private, and asked the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long form birth certificate. It did so, based on the enormous attention the issue received, the White House said.
Obama said that the issue of his birth was a distraction for the administration, legislators, and the American people, which prompted the release of the document.
"I know that there's going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest," Obama said. "But I'm speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press. We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do. We've got big problems to solve. And I'm confident we can solve them, but we're going to have to focus on them -- not on this."
"The White House and other government agencies have been sharing presentations, documents, and videos on SlideShare Pro Channels for some time," Ross Mayfield, vice president of business development for SlideShare, said in an emailed statement. "We are pleased that the White House had such confidence in posting a document of such historical and political significance. As more departments and agencies set up Pro Channels on SlideShare, we look forward to working with them to make government more transparent, effective, and engaging with citizens with social media."
The birth certificate also appears via SlideShare's Web site, as part of the White House's official account.
Normally, the state of Hawaii, where Obama was born, wouldn't release the official so-called "long-form" birth certificate; instead, the Obama administration previously posted the short form, also known as the Certification of Live Birth, in 2008.
"When any citizen born in Hawaii requests their birth certificate, they receive exactly what the President received," the White House said in a statement. "In fact, the document posted on the campaign website is what Hawaiians use to get a driver's license from the state and the document recognized by the Federal Government and the courts for all legal purposes. That's because it is the birth certificate. This is not and should not be an open question."
Obama addressed the issue in a press conference Wednesday. "Now, this issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now," he said, according to an official transcript. "I think it started during the campaign. And I have to say that over the last two and a half years I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going. We've had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this, confirm that, yes, in fact, I was born in Hawaii, August 4, 1961, in Kapiolani Hospital."
White House counsel reviewed the legal authority for seeking access to the long form certificate, normally kept private, and asked the Hawaii State Department of Health make an exception to release a copy of his long form birth certificate. It did so, based on the enormous attention the issue received, the White House said.
Obama said that the issue of his birth was a distraction for the administration, legislators, and the American people, which prompted the release of the document.
"I know that there's going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest," Obama said. "But I'm speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press. We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We've got better stuff to do. I've got better stuff to do. We've got big problems to solve. And I'm confident we can solve them, but we're going to have to focus on them -- not on this."
