The Meaning of the Birth Certificate. . .

. . .was certainly not about whether or not Obama was born in Hawaii or not. It was rather, what might be embarrassing about the document and why Obama might not be willing to show it. After looking at what was published on line, I'm not sure that there was anything controversial. But the other thing it shows is that the President is a bit odd and will fold under pressure. As long as the birth certificate could be used to allege that Republicans and Tea Partyers were kooks, playing hide the document seemed to be a good strategy. But when Trump got aggressive Team Obama folded like a lawn chair. Interestingly enough, it was Trump's aggressive moves that put Obama in a no-win situation. With the Donald calling him out, his continued refusal to publish the document looked odd, at the very least exhibiting poor judgment. But its release makes Obama look even odder and weaker. The timing is just off and awful. It looks like he caved on a matter of principle, just because he was bullied into it. To steal Dennis Miller's baseball analogy from today's O'Reilly Factor; Obama's the baseball player with "rabbit ears" and Trump's the bench rider assigned to heckle him to get him off his game.

Which brings me to the popularity of the Donald. I think people like that he is challenging Obama publicly, in a way that the mainstream media won't. I think they like the idea of an alpha male as leader of the free world. I believe people are tired of a President that doesn't seem accountable, not from the Congress on Libya, not by the courts on the individual mandate in Obamacare, and certainly not by the lapdog press. Other Republican candidates out to wise up and notice that an aggressive line of attack can rattle Obama and get him off his game. The only time that McCain ever led Obama in the polls in 2008 was shortly after the Republican convention when Palin successfully laid a glove or two on Obama. "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities," was the famous Palin quote from the convention, and it stung and stuck.

But let me be clear, I am in no way endorsing Trump. He is not a serious candidate, nor does his personal record accord with Tea Party principles, as much of his financial success can be attributed to dealings with politicians and his willingness to abuse eminent domain. His first line of attack after the birther fiasco was over was over gas prices, the play of a pure demagogue, as I relate below. His hypocrisy over trade with China is rank. However, a Republican that calls the President to account in strong terms, who has a proven ability to lead and who is committed to reducing the size of government can easily beat Obama.

The winner.

That other thing.