For some inexplicable reason, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has decided to indulge the birthers. Though he doesn’t himself question the authenticity of President Obama’s birth certificate, in an interview with Parade magazine, Perry weaseled around the issue:
I have no reason to think otherwise.
That’s not a definitive, “Yes, I believe he”—
Well, I don’t have a definitive answer, because he’s never seen my birth certificate.
But you’ve seen his.
I don’t know. Have I?
You don’t believe what’s been released?
I don’t know. I had dinner with Donald Trump the other night.
And?
That came up.
And he said?
He doesn’t think it’s real.
And you said?
I don’t have any idea. It doesn’t matter. He’s the President of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.
This is embarassing. Would it have been so hard to simply say, “President Obama has released his birth certificate, and the case is closed as far as I’m concerned. There’s plenty to criticize in his actual policies without having to resort to spreading conspiracy theories.” Is Perry, who presents himself as a tough guy, afraid of offending Donald Trump?
