Friday, October 31, 2008

Ruling to come on Obama birth case

By Sheila McLaughlin • smclaughlin@enquirer.com • October 30, 2008

A Warren County magistrate said he’ll decide tomorrow whether Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has to get proof that Barack Obama was born in the United States.

David M. Neal, a Turtlecreek Township resident who runs a political Web site, filed suit last week, saying state and federal government leaders have failed to verify that Obama was born in Hawaii, instead of Kenya.

The U.S. Constitution requires presidents to be natural-born citizens who are at least 35 years old.

Neal says he’s part of a nationwide grass-roots movement that has questioned Obama’s birthplace and qualification to run for president.

Neal’s complaint asserts that Obama’s Internet site does not disclose the name of the hospital where Obama was born and that an original long version of the birth certificate should be made available before the election.

The controversy has lingered even though various fact-checking groups and journalists have concluded that the Hawaiian birth certificate appears to be authentic.

Neal contends that Obama should be removed from the Ohio ballot if Brunner can’t confirm that Obama was born in the United States.

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