Daily Herald editorial

Of all the ridiculous issues that politicians have bandied about, the question of the president’s citizenship is perhaps the goofiest. Perhaps, now that Mr. Obama has provided a detailed birth certificate the matter can be laid to rest.

A subset of mostly Republican politicians — including the insufferable Donald Trump, who is perhaps running for president — have tried in recent weeks to raise their profiles by calling into question whether the president is indeed an American citizen. The “birthers,” as they are known, claimed that the basic Hawaii birth certificate that Mr. Obama had routinely provided when he began his presidential run was not adequate proof of his citizenship. So this week, the president had Hawaii state officials produce a long form certificate, an act that required special approval from that state’s secretary of health.

Little good can be said of those who raised the birth issue and kept it stoked. They clearly were seizing at straws to distract and discredit the president with an issue so minor that it calls into question their own patriotism and intelligence. The true test, however, will be whether they are wise enough to drop the matter now that it has been resolved completely enough to satisfy any rational person.

The last thing America needs is a pointless debate over non-issues. There are enough real problems around to keep us all occupied.