Steve Forbes Endorses Rick Perry

Is this something? When Perry started talking about the Flat Tax, I thought, "I guess he wants Steve Forbes' vote."

I can't imagine this is a major thing. Maybe it's just me, but I've never been moved by Steve Forbes.

And, meanwhile, Perry isn't sure Obama's birth certificate is real.

Asked whether he believes Obama was born in the USA, Perry said he had no reason to think otherwise. But the governor said he a didn’t have a definitive answer because he was not certain the document released by Obama was the real deal.

But you’ve seen his, the interviewer said. “I don’t know. Have I?” Perry asks.

Perry said the birth certificate came up at his meeting last month with Donald Trump and that the real estate mogul and TV reality show host doesn’t think it’s real.

“I don’t have any idea. It doesn’t matter,” Perry said. “He’s (Obama) the president of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.”

Ugh. Oh well. A lot of people have this soft "who knows" opinion. largely because, I think, they hear a lot about it and haven't investigated it themselves but take the common-sense (but often wrong) tact that "if so many people are talking about it, there must be something to it."

That's a rule of thumb that a lot of people employ. But it's just a rule of thumb. It is frequently wrong.

More: The cobloggers were talking about this. Gabe quotes further from the interview. It doesn't sound like Perry's making much of a statement here.

Governor, do you believe that President Barack Obama was born in the United States? I have no reason to think otherwise. That’s not a definitive, “Yes, I believe he”— Well, I don’t have a definitive answer, because he’s never seen my birth certificate. But you’ve seen his. I don’t know. Have I? You don’t believe what’s been released? I don’t know. I had dinner with Donald Trump the other night. And? That came up. And he said? He doesn’t think it’s real. And you said? I don’t have any idea. It doesn’t matter. He’s the President of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.

What the media wants (wish they wanted for months and months) is for Republicans to swear, as if in court, that Obama was born in the United States.

Frankly, no one "knows" this in a courtroom sense. No one being asked has any personal, firsthand information about this. Even Obama couldn't actually testify to this in court because no one remembers anything from their first several years of life.

This has gotten to be akin to a Loyalty Oath for the media.

posted by Ace at 12:59 PM

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