Via TPM
originally on CNN
While Arizona's Gov. Jan Brewer (R) has been typically cast (well, at least here at dKos) as one of the wingier of today's wingnut State officials, in an interview with CNN's John King last night (Mon. 25 Apr 11) she appears to have suffered an inexplicable attack of political rationality: induced, it seems by the fever of "birtherism" sweeping so much of the country.
Gov. Brewer's veto of Arizona's much-derided "birther bill" - which would have required Presidential candidates (and, apparently, those for lesser federal office as well) to provide ludicrously lengthy "proof of eligibility" before they would be allowed to appear on Arizona's ballot - was thought to be a done deal.
Jan Brewer, though, seems to have had second thoughts:
"It's just something that I think is leading our country down a path of destruction, and it just is not serving any good purpose.
This, after having done some firsthand checking:
"
I for one, I believe that what I have seen, and after speaking with governor -- or the prior governor of Hawaii -- that indeed he [Obama] was born in Hawaii.
She also had some practical objections, too (and as the former SoS of Arizona, she would know):
"It was a bridge way too far to give one person in the state of Arizona -- a partisan person at that -- the ability to keep a person off the ballot. And it wasn't just the President of the United States -- it was all the way down the path of all elected officials.
Which was shocking on a couple of levels: First, that a Republican State official would (or could) ever openly admit that their Party might ever introduce any legislature that might be considered "a bridge way too far"; and secondly (which I had not known) that the AZ "birther bill" wasn't aimed just, or mainly, at the top of the ticket; but would put the proper candidacy of ANY "questionable" citizen* at the judgement/mercy/political opportunism of a State officer - which might, AFAICT, raise severe (and probably embarrassing) issues of VRA violations.
*Maybe just me, but I read this clause as meaning those candidates "down the path" whose names might end in "ez", with a (D) appended....
ADD: I did note, though, that one direct question John King posed - where he asked if Gov. Brewer thought the Obama/birther movement was motivated by racism against having a Black President - was one she flatly ignored, and went into a deflective comment about documentation: I guess there are still some landmine issues she's not going to want to step on...