Is Michelle Obama a birther?

The "birther" movement, made up of people who believe President Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen, may have had a much longer run in the public eye than it deserved, but it made plenty of noise while it had America's attention. By comparison, those who argued that John McCain was not qualified to serve as President because he was born in the Panama Canal zone never saw their cause gain real traction.

Of course, there are still those who believe that the President was not born in Hawaii as he claims, mainly because he has never produced his original birth certificate. What he did provide, a certificate of live birth, doesn't quite have the legal same standing as an original birth certificate and did not solve the eligibility issue. There are other issues involved as well, which have been largely disproven. Of course, what did end the debate for many was the birth announcement of Barack Obama in two different Hawaii newspapers in 1961. While it doesn't prove Obama was born in Hawaii, it makes it nearly impossible to believe he was born in Kenya as some contend. It would have taken almost supernatural foresight to have planned a cover-up just days after the President's birth.

The question now is, who is to blame for allowing the issue to fester? The President holds some responsibility by not releasing his original birth certificate, but consider how much blame his wife Michelle holds. We submit for your consideration the following video, recorded in 2008 when Mrs. Obama was speaking to a gay rights organization. She states the exact same phrase many "birthers" have been criticized for saying themselves, that the President's home country was Kenya. Was it a purely symbolic statement, or was it a Freudian slip of historic proportions? At least liberals can't blame the right for starting the controversy.

For more information regarding the citizenship of President Obama, visit the urban legends website snopes.com.