@Finn dAbuzz,
Plenty of Republican Congressmen have gone the birther route or part-way by saying "I want to see the documents." For example Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Vice-Chair of the House Republican Conference — "We’re all going to find out," when asked the birther question. When asked again, she said: "Oh, I’d like to see the documents."
The Progress Report: The Wacko Wing wrote:In March, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced legislation requiring "presidential candidates to produce copies of their birth certificates and other documentation to prove natural-born citizenship." Posey's bill has gathered nine co-sponsors in the House. Trying to explain why he introduced the bill, Posey issued a statement saying, "This bill, by simply requiring such documentation for future candidates for president, will remove this issue as a reason for questioning the legitimacy of a candidate elected as president." But Posey has undermined this seemingly innocuous rationale for his legislation by outright accusing Obama of hiding something on a right-wing Internet radio show. "The only people that I know who are afraid to take drug tests are the people who use drugs," said Posey. Claiming that he hadn't looked at the evidence, Posey previously told the Orlando Sentinel, "I can't swear on a stack of Bibles whether he is or isn't" a citizen. On MSNBC's Hardball last week, host Chris Matthews challenged one of the bill's co-sponsors, Rep. John Campbell (R-CA), telling him that "what you're doing is appeasing the nutcases ... you're verifying the paranoia out there." Asked if he believed Obama was a citizen, Campbell responded, "as far as I know, yes." Matthews retorted, "As far as you know? I'm showing you his birth certificate!" Matthews is correct that many conservative lawmakers are comfortable "feeding the wacko wing." Just today, Politico reported that Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) said birthers "have a point." "I don't discourage it," said Inhofe.
Remember the Republicans were doing this after Obama has released his birth certificate and after extensive investigations had confirmed Obama's place of birth. When Reid introduces a law to say that Presidential candidates must release ten years of tax returns after Romney has released them, then I think Reid is up there with the birthers.
But the point of my post was not that Reid was right, but that Romney has not learned from Obama's error. All he has to do to make Reid look like an idiot is to release his tax returns. What are they going to show? That he gives extensively to charity? That he pays many thousands in taxes? Just release them and be done with it. I am 100% certain that Romney's taxes are completely above board even if he used many legal methods to reduce taxes. He's a fool for letting it ride.
