Truly embarrassing

WITHOUT a doubt, President Obama (a master rope-a-dope player) will turn this birther lunacy to his political advantage. The release of his long-form birth certificate is just Act I of undercutting the carnival barkers. Still, it's a shame that a sitting president was, in effect, forced to produce an ID card. His crime (in the minds of the fringe)? Governing while being Black. This is a deeply embarrassing moment. Most Americans do not care about this "issue" and dismissed it long ago. It is only a concern for a small segment of the Republican base. It only became a "controversy" because the media made it into one. It did so by treating "this garbage as a legitimate area of inquiry," as the Washington Monthly noted. And for what -- ratings? Given their giddy descent into tabloid journalism, are the major news organizations even capable of showing better judgment anymore? I truly wonder. If media outlets begin to obsessively cover the president's SAT scores, college grades or eligibility for admission to Harvard, we'll know the answer shortly.