Contrary to much hand-wringing I have read here, I think the purpose in releasing Obama's birth certificate was quite clear:
The loony 25% of racist birther scumbags who make up the GOP faithful (primarily the Tea Party wing) now have no one to carry their banner forward into the general election. How will they feel about that?
Recent polls had shown that nearly 50% of GOP voters had begun to believe the birthers, given Trump's high-profile on the issue.
No matter what one thinks of the GOP, not every Republican voter is a lunatic conspiracy nut. I will wager that the number of GOP voters who believe that Obama was not born in the U.S. will now go back down to near the 25% of hardcore, racist, conspiracy nuts.
Hell, even Bachmann disavowed the birthers last week. And Newt's comment today ("What took him so long?") is his tacit admission that the whole thing is over.
So where do the birthers turn for 2012? No legitimate GOP hopeful can support their nonsense because even the bulk of GOP voters won't back this crap. But the fanatics won't let go. And they won't be able to find a candidate to pass their litmus test.
Will they be less enthusiastic as a result? How does this affect GOP "intensity" numbers? One thing is certain: It is likely to leave the birthers pissed off and without a candidate in 2012.
Of course the lunatic 25% will continue to deny reality. But now they are back out there on a limb, all by themselves, busily sawing away.
There is nothing complicated going on here. But I certainly disagree that this particular action is somehow a "cave" to the lunatic fringe. What it does is cast a harsh spotlight on the lunatic fringe for what they are... Lunatics! And note that even the looniest of the GOP candidates won't follow them there.
And when not one GOP candidate will back them, you'll be able to hear their screaming from your front porch:
"Why won't they believe us! The evidence is all right there in front of them!"
There have been plenty of pathetic caves from this administration, but this isn't one of them.