And Now, We Come To The Sanity Clause

I have to believe, all this nonsense about where President Obama was born would befuddle, even, the Marx Brothers.



From ABC News Today;

Poll: Half of 'Birthers' Call it 'Suspicion'; A Third Approve of Obama Anyway

Fourteen percent of Americans say without prompting that they think Barack Obama was born in another country, rising to one in five when those with no opinion are offered that as a possibility. But for many it's not a firm belief and some appear not to hold it against him.

Among those inclined to think Obama was born abroad, half also say that's their suspicion only, not a judgment based on solid evidence, the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll finds. And perhaps surprisingly, about a third of so-called "birthers" nonetheless approve of Obama's work in office and express a favorable opinion of him personally.

[snip]

THE QUESTION – This ABC/Post poll posed the question neutrally; first: "On another subject, where was Barack Obama born, as far as you know?" Sixty-eight percent said the United States (or a location within the country), 14 percent said another country and 19 percent had no opinion.

Steve M, over on No More Mister Nice Blog, isn't buying it;

No, I don't think that's the right explanation. The whole point of birtherism is that you can't possibly find out the truth because B. Hussein Osama is so EEEEEEEVIL!!! When anti-Obama birthers choose "suspicion only," they're not making an ambiguous statement about their beliefs; they're saying that the suppression of the truth is so great that history's greatest monsters would be jealous!

Of course, it's a ridiculous question anyway; what the hell "solid evidence" could there possibly be? But for some birthers the lack of solid evidence is solid evidence that B. Hussein is hiding ... something; others express this same feeling as a deeply held suspicion. It's just two different ways of describing the same invisible monsters under the bed.

It's over a year-and-a-half and these people ...

Oh, what's the use ...

Jesus Christ could come down, put his arm around Obama and vouch that he was born as, and remains, a United States citizen and the Birthers (aided, perhaps by a handful of Teabaggers) would boo and jeer the announcement.

DemFromCT, on Daily Kos says as much;

Yep. Republicans and conservatives always get mad at polls that make them look bad, but they look bad because of what they believe and not because they were polled.

Why is this news, again?

Why is this poll being taken?

The story returned to the news when the Hawaii legislature last week approved a bill authorizing the state Health Department to ignore repeated requests for information on Obama's birth records. The department's director had testified it was taking time and resources to respond "to these often convoluted inquiries." The bill's on the governor's desk.

This will be a Birther Meme by the beginning of the week.

Now, the state is in on it.

Help Me Mister Wizard!


Bonus Riffs

Alex Pareene: The Birthers: Who Are They and What Do They Want?

Alex Koppelman: Salon's handy-dandy guide to refuting the Birthers


Bonus Bonus

Maybe, they'll listen to the King

Suspicious Mind - Elvis Presley

Sorry Elvis, Tests Prove Bat Boy Love Child Of President Bush Is The Winner ... The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll

We tried to give him an edge. We kept the poll open an extra day, so that, maybe, his legions of fans would swoop in to vote him to the top of the list.

We, so much, wanted to have a blazing headline - Elvis Caught On NSA Wiretaps! Plans Comeback - With Lindsey Lohan!

We did it to tie into today, this day, the anniversary day, when the King left us ... The Day Elvis Died.

But in heavy, and spirited voting, cooler heads prevailed ... The one's with their fingers on the pulse ... The one's who know came out on top ...

And the winner is ... Tests Prove Bat Boy Love Child Of President Bush!

Who says it isn't true?

Sure would like to be a fly-on-the-wall during that press conference.

Who was the President in a tryst with? When and where? ... Was it his office wife, Condi Girl? ... Was there more going on, last year, than a mere neck rub with German Chancellor Angela Merkel? ...Did he and Tony Blair adopt? ... Is Bat Boy the reason Turd Blossom resigned? ... All those secret locations the Vice President was moving around to to, was that to keep Bat Boy out-of-sight?

I guess we'll have to wait for that final World Weekly News to give us the 411 ...

The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll August 7 - August 14, 2007

The World Weekly News is shutting down ... It's final headline should be ...

1. Tests Prove Bat Boy Love Child Of President Bush Tally 29%

2. Iowa Man Powers Car With Dead Wife's Hair Tally 22%

3. Space Aliens Warn, If Hillary Elected, Will Destroy Earth! Tally 21%

4. Elvis Caught On NSA Wiretaps! Plans Comeback - With Lindsey Lohan! Tally 19%

5. Bigfoot Says Has Secret Plan To End Energy Crises Tally 9%

This week’s Poll - Fearful of China, the Bush Grindhouse is calling Mattel's Toy Recall ...

Scroll up to the top right corner to place your vote

Bonus Links

Telegraph.co.uk: What if Elvis Presley had never been born?

Goodbye Bat Boy! ... Rumors True, World Weekly News Shutting Down!

Goodbye Bat Boy! ... Rumors True, World Weekly News Shutting Down!

Those wonderful, delicious, screaming headlines ...

If this weekend's FISA Vote didn't take the wind out of your sails, the news today (and there's been various rumors/sightings on-line in the past few weeks) that the tabloid World Weekly News is shutting down.

What will happen to Bat Boy? ... Will Elvis slink away into the obscurity of Michigan? ... Who will report about the Space Aliens and Big Foot? ... Where's Ed Anger going to vent? ...

Peter Carlson in today's Washington Post has a great article on the hilarity the WWN has provided it's faithful readers for nearly the past 30-years;

All the News That Seemed Unfit to Print

You can visit the World Weekly News on-line here

And before you leave, go up to the right-hand corner of The Garlic and cast your vote for what should be the final, screaming World Weekly News headline