There was no good reason for anyone to have to guess which "original" form Fukino was referring to in 2008.
There was also no good reason (in 2008) to require America to trust the word of one Hawaii Health Department worker as to whether or not Obama was born in Hawaii, without the release of the corroborating document that she claimed to have seen. Yet that was exactly what Fukino did, and exactly what Obama permitted to happen.
Had Obama ordered that a copy of his long form be released to the media in 2007 or 2008, it would have been instantly released. He decided NOT to order the release of the long form. Now, why would he make that choice?
In 2010, Army Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Terry Lakin refused to deploy to Afghanistan unless Obama produced a valid copy of his long form. Lakin's court-martial received plenty of publicity. For a few minutes and a few dollars, Obama could have saved a dedicated flight surgeon from prosecution. Obama could have at least started the process of resolving persistent questions about his legitimacy to hold office. Yet once again, Obama decided NOT to order the release of the form.
And yet it was the press that played a large role in forcing the administration’s hand.
You give credit where almost none is due. By 2011 Obama was worried that the issue might affect his 2012 campaign.
A press worthy of the name would have tried to force Obama's hand in 2007. When Obama's computer-generated short form was released in 2008, the press should have screamed, "This is at best a SECONDARY DOCUMENT, based on a PRIMARY DOCUMENT, your long-form Certificate of Live Birth! You aren't applying for a driver's learner's permit, you are asking to be trusted with the position of the most powerful man on earth! We DEMAND that you expend the trivial amount of effort required for you to provide the BEST AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION that you were born in Hawaii: your long form Certificate of Live Birth!"
By 2011, and probably long before, the leftist press understood that Obama's refusal to release his long form was a deliberate, cynical, political rope-a-dope. They were more than happy to help.
Obama: "I'll pretend I don't even know that I have an original birth certificate, and my pals in the press won't question me about it, and will label anyone who objects as a birther nutcase! Big political upside for me, and screw those who get hurt!"
The scam worked, but at one hell of a price for the country, and especially for Dr. Lakin.
The short form computer print out abstract has been and continues to be the official birth certificate of the state of Hawaii and it has been since 2001.
If the short form was not considered a primary document, no one born in Hawaii could use copies of that vital record to obtain a U.S. Passport.
On every certified short form it states: “This copy serves as prima facie evidence of the fact of birth in any court proceeding.”
The following is an article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in 2009:
The Honolulu Star Bulletin interviews Janice Okubo, Communications Director, Hawaii Department of Health
“Birth certificate styles adjust to fit times and regulations”
Question: What is the state’s policy for issuing a “Certification of Live Birth” versus a “Certificate of Live Birth”? My first, second and fourth children received certificates, but my third and fifth children received certifications. Why the difference?”
Answer: “The certificate contains more information, such as the name of hospital, certifier’s name and title; attendant’s name and title, etc. The certification has only the child’s name, date and time of birth, sex, city/island/county of birth, mother’s maiden name, mother’s race, father’s name and father’s race. Why doesn’t the state just issue certificates? When did it stop issuing certificates? Is it possible to obtain certificates for my third and fifth children?
Answer: No, you can’t obtain a “certificate of live birth” anymore.
The state Department of Health no longer issues copies of paper birth certificates as was done in the past, said spokeswoman Janice Okubo.
The department only issues “certifications” of live births, and that is the “official birth certificate” issued by the state of Hawaii, she said.
The reason for this is, as I had already guessed, the fact that Hawaii was one of the first states to move towards an electronic reporting system.
Okubo explained that the Health Department went paperless in 2001.
“At that time, all information for births from 1908 (on) was put into electronic files for consistent reporting,” she said.
Information about births is transferred electronically from hospitals to the department.
“The electronic record of the birth is what (the Health Department) now keeps on file in order to provide same-day certified copies at our help window for most requests,” Okubo said.
Asked for more information about the short-form versus long-form birth documents, Okubo said the Health Department “does not have a short-form or long-form certificate.”
“The birth certificate form has been modified over the years and decades to conform to national standards and models,” she said.
Okubo also emphasized the certification form “contains all the information needed by all federal government agencies for transactions requiring a birth certificate.”
She added that the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the state’s current certification of live birth “as an official birth certificate meeting all federal and other requirements.”
The issue of what constitutes an official Hawaii birth certificate received national attention during last year’s presidential campaign. Those who doubted Barack Obama’s American citizenship called the copy of the Hawaii birth document posted on his campaign Web site a fake.
Asked about that document, Okubo said, “This is the same certified copy everyone receives when they request a birth certificate.”
When Mitt Romney released a copy of his birth certificate, it was a Michigan short form Certificate of Live Birth:
http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20120529&t=2&i=613026630&w=644&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE84S1T4100
Freepmail.