It's dead, Jim UPDATED: NO, It's Not, I Need To Learn to Read

UPDATED 9 DEC 2008: After reviewing the content of the linked story (below), I must retract this post. The attributed remarks do not substantiate Hawaii as the place of birth; they establish that Hawaii is in possession of a valid certificate but NOT its contents. The reporter does make an unattributed statement that the President-elect was born in Hawaii, but without attribution to an official this statement has zero significance (and is really, really bad reporting).

The Obama "natural born citizen" issue is over.

Hawaii officials have confirmed the validity of the birth certificate. Granted, I would have preferred this come out in a deposition under oath than in an AP story, but this is what we have, and considering the standing issue, this is as good as it's going to get. It'll have to do. So, it's over, and that's a good thing.

I urge other anti-Obama citizens to drop it.

And no, the Indonesia issue is not worth pursuing. As accomplished as Berg seems to be, the idea that you can define the meaning of "natural born citizen" in terms of statutory law is quite simply fallacious. You can surely use statutes to inform your interpretation of the constitution, but statutes cannot by themselves establish the meaning of the constitution. And if you think the Court is going to interpret the meaning of the phrase in anything but the broadest sense possible--which would easily include anyone who is a citizen at birth according to the 14th Amendment--you've simply lost touch with judicial and political reality.

It's over. This will be won or lost at the ballot box, as it should be. Cast your vote and accept the outcome. We're better than the Gore supporters of 2000.