Birthers believe that President Obama's proffered birth certificate shows evidence of being a forgery, and that he may not be a natural born American citizen.  I'm agnostic on the issue, but I am bothered at the way President Obama and his supporters in the  mainstream press have handled this issue. 

In 2008, Republican presidential candidate John McCain's eligibility to  run for president  became an issue because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone.  He went to court, provided the necessary evidence and the court decided he was a natural born citizen (Robinson v. Bowen).

John McCain did what any normal statesman would do in this situation.  He was open, provided all the requested evidence, and because of his respect for the rule of law, let the courts decide the matter.  If Joseph Farah and his band of forensic experts at World Net Daily had requested to examine the actual birth certificate, I'm sure he would have complied.  After all, he had nothing to hide. 

Contrast McCain's behavior with that of Barack Obama, who acted strangely, and raised suspicions.  He refused to supply his long-form birth certificate and only recently complied, sort of, by supplying a copy via the internet, which may or may not have been photo-shopped, but refusing to allow anyone to examine the actual birth certificate.  He and his supporters were deeply offended, complained bitterly, and continue to ridicule anyone who dares to question him regarding his birthplace.  In fact, his supporters in the press are the ones who continue to bring up the matter as some sort of Republican sanity test, demanding that Republicans cut off contact with any supporter who dares to treat this one issue with any seriousness.  Odd.

Dan Nagasaki is the author of a book for teens and young adults: The Beginner's Guide to Conservative Politics. Glenn Doi is a Real Estate Broker in Los Angeles.