Birther Debate: Retired General, a Fox News Analyst, Questions Obama's Legitimacy
Posted:
09/2/10
A retired Air Force general, who also weighs in as a Fox News contributor, has joined the ranks of "birthers" by defending Army doctor Terrence Lakin, who refused to serve in Afghanistan because he does not believe President Obama was born in the United States and therefore has no authority to deploy him. Lt. Col. Lakin is facing a court martial.
Now, Talking Points Memo says retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney has filed an affidavit on Lakin's behalf. The document raises concerns about Obama's legitimacy and demands release of his birth records.
"It is my opinion that LTC Lakin's request for discovery relating to the president's birth records in Hawaii is absolutely essential to determining not merely his guilt or innocence but to reassuring all military personnel once and for all for this president whether his service as Commander in Chief is Constitutionally proper," McInerney wrote to the court. ". . . According to our Constitution, the Commander in Chief must now, in the face of serious -- and widely held -- concerns that he is ineligible, either voluntarily establish his credibility by authorizing release of his birth records, or this court must authorize their discovery. The invasion of privacy in these records is utterly trivial compared to the issues at stake here."
Hawaiian authorities have stated repeatedly that Obama's birth certificate is on file and in order. But the rumor that he was not born in the United States is alive and well on the Internet.
McInerney, a graduate of West Point who retired in 1994, served in Vietnam and was commander of the 11th Air Force in Alaska.
Now, Talking Points Memo says retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney has filed an affidavit on Lakin's behalf. The document raises concerns about Obama's legitimacy and demands release of his birth records.
"It is my opinion that LTC Lakin's request for discovery relating to the president's birth records in Hawaii is absolutely essential to determining not merely his guilt or innocence but to reassuring all military personnel once and for all for this president whether his service as Commander in Chief is Constitutionally proper," McInerney wrote to the court. ". . . According to our Constitution, the Commander in Chief must now, in the face of serious -- and widely held -- concerns that he is ineligible, either voluntarily establish his credibility by authorizing release of his birth records, or this court must authorize their discovery. The invasion of privacy in these records is utterly trivial compared to the issues at stake here."
Hawaiian authorities have stated repeatedly that Obama's birth certificate is on file and in order. But the rumor that he was not born in the United States is alive and well on the Internet.
McInerney, a graduate of West Point who retired in 1994, served in Vietnam and was commander of the 11th Air Force in Alaska.