Barack Obama's Birth Certificate Stirs Controversy

The next rumors all hinge on the validity of Senator Obama's name. Some claim he changed his name from Barry to the more Middle Eastern/Islamic sounding Barack. Others claim his middle name was not Hussein, but Mohammed. Of course, many hold that, whether Obama released the document or not, the latter claim holds little weight.

What, many ponder, would be the significance of his changing his middle name from one Muslim sounding name to another? Some, however, might seem to believe that the name change suggests an attempt to sound more Muslim, an idea few grant any credibility to, and others call just plain, well, dumb. In regards to the former matter, again, releasing the birth certificate would yield little to be concerned about.

A Newsweek.com report already addressed Senator Obama's shedding of the "Barry" nickname in college, instead choosing a preference for the name he shares with his father, Barack. Thus, even if he had changed his name officially from a birth certificate record of "Barry" to "Barack," it wouldn't show a change to be "more Muslim," but instead simply adopts the name of his father. In other words, despite the hype, there seems to be little cause for controversy over this issue, either. However, the refusal to release the document, if not inflaming this issue, also suggests to some that something else might be "hidden" there.

In light of all these issues, most of which have already been disputed and disregarded in the past, many question whether or not the issue of the birth certificate should be an issue at all. The issues which have been sparked over the birth certificate's release seem to be nominal at the most. Many have agreed the "controversy" seems more of a distraction than an actual issue; a report from the Online Journal calls the issue a "GOP dirty trick".

To be sure, some deep hidden secret regarding Senator Obama's origins and heritage could, in the end, prove extremely damaging, if not completely destructive, to his run for the Presidency. Yet his refusal to release the birth certificate, despite any validity to these claims or not, at this point only seems to prove just as detrimental. It seems only time will tell, whether the birth certificate is released or not, what the release-or refusal to release-will ultimately mean for Senator Obama's candidacy.

Resources:

Snopes.com, "Barack Obama was Born in Kenya" (Thread), Snopes.com