I learned very quickly as a candidate and elected official that when voters like you, they give you the benefit of the doubt, and when they do not like you, they will believe all kinds of inaccurate claims.

David Orentlicher
August 24, 2009
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Speaking for myself only, Mr. Orentlicher is correct.

I doubt many people share my strong contempt for the Obama administration. I don't dislike Mr. Obama yet for I'm not convinced he is calling the shots. I suspect his handlers sit down with him before every trip and before every television appearance and tell him what to say. I don't mean advise him on what to say. I mean tell him.

Citizenship
Now, about this birther thing. I've been satisfied to give Mr. Obama a pass because so many political pundits have said if he isn't a U.S. citizen his primary campaign opponents would have called him on it during the vetting process. Hearing John McCain saying as much on television tells me there might be too much assuming. His staff must have not vetted the issue because he said that Hillary Clinton would have learned if Mr. Obama is not a U.S. citizen.

Speaking of too much assuming, I might be guilty as well. When the birther stories first surfaced, I read them just like I read the covers of the various tabloids at a Walmart checkout lane. Not because I believed the birther stories but because they were interesting escape reading. As more articles showed up on the web, I read more and more of them. Thinking they were written my his enemies, I dismissed them.

No more
I look at it different now. I'm no longer inclined to dismiss the stories. There are other reasons than just the birth certificate, not as important perhaps since our Constitution clearly defines the citizenship issue, but other reasons just the same.

I've read that Mr. Obama will not produce any document relating to his life. Documents such as his school transcripts, his health records, his Illinois Senate voting records, his parents marriage license and his law firm client list. Granted our Constitution does not require Mr. Obama to release these documents but I would like for him to make them public. Seems like a fair request to me when considering he has been so secretive. Maybe he is hiding something. If not, it seems to me that he would want to clear the air.

I learned many things about people from my employment as an internal auditor and later the Manager of Internal Audit for a Fortune 500 manufacturer. Subsequent employment as a credit card fraud analyst for one of the largest banks in our country added to my knowledge. What I learned is that people talk but facts explain.

The horse's mouth
Why can not Mr. Obama give us a good faith explanation? You know, right from the horse's mouth. There might even be a positive correlation between his silence and his plummeting popularity rating. There is a lot to be said for good faith cooperation. Like "they" say perception is reality.

Yes, birthers, count me in! But, don't count me as a one who believes at this time he is not a natural born U.S. Citizen. Instead, count be as skeptic - skeptical of Obama for his silence.

Since Mr. Obama doesn't seem willing to cooperate, here's what we need without delay. An independent investigation - one accepted by birthers but not performed by any birther or any person connected to the Obama administration and with our Members of Congress completely silent. Forget their free speech regarding this issue. Put a gag order on all of them.

Mr. Obama's failure to cooperate with those for whom he works strongly suggests we have a prima facie case of deceit.