The first request to see his birth certificate came in April of 2008 from a St. Petersburg Times article trying to track down internet rumors about his middle name. The newspaper tried to find as many on-line Obama documents that they could, and then asked the campaign for his birth certificate. That's when Obama refused.
I don't think the timeline suggests a plot to control or embarrass conservates or Republicans. I do think they may have morphed into that message over time, but I don't think it was always the plan.
I think it was always a case of covering up something that powerful people didn't want exposed.
-PJ
Good find.
I recall seeing the request for an Obama birth certificate in March, 2008. This was about the same time that the libs were calling for McCain’s birth certificate and the hearings were held by Congress on his eligibility. I don’t recall the blogger’s name or his blog site but I began watching and watched closely until it showed up on Kos. I have always thought this Kos copy was a forgery from day 1 and still do. I began contacting my reps in Congress long before the election because I thought Obama and his team were committing fraud and thereby stealing the election. When they prevailed, I wrote more letters to Congress,the Supreme Court, Hawaii governor, and my state election offices before the swearing in and after.