Blog Heap of Links for the day 18 May 2011

slobbering and gushing over Obama reaches Matthewsian levels. One can almost feel the tingles just reading it.

Why is the White House in full defense mode against a book by a small publisher contending Barack Obama is not legally eligible to be president? Today, the Obama re-election campaign launched an all-out attack on a brand new book critical of Obama, "Where's the Birth Certificate," by bestselling author Jerome Corsi, Ph.D., calling it delusional, laughable and a "joke." If this sounds like major déjà vu, it's because the Obama election campaign did exactly the same thing in 2008 when it mobilized a major assault on Corsi's previous book about Obama, the No. 1 New York Times bestseller "The Obama Nation." And that was a response to the impact of his previous No. 1 New York Times bestseller, "Unfit for Command."

Less than two hours after Mark Warren posted the story on the Esquire website, he added a disclaimer: "For those who didn't figure it out yet, and the many on Twitter for whom it took a while: We committed satire this morning to point out the problems with selling and marketing a book that has had its core premise and reason to exist gutted by the news cycle, several weeks in advance of publication. Are its author a

Corsi provides a useful history into the thinking that informed Article 2, Section 1 of the United States Constitution, the natural-born citizenship clause. In brief, the founders did not want a president with divided loyalties. Regardless of where Obama was born, the fact that his presumed father was a British citizen at the time of Obama's birth, and had every intention of remaining one, made Obama's case at least as worthy of adjudication as McCain's. But that was not to be. From the beginning, one questioned Obama's eligibility, indeed any of his credentials, at his own risk. The introductory section of Corsi's book shows those who may have forgotten with what incredible impunity the Obama campaign was allowed to proceed.

Judge Roy Moore, a former state Supreme Court chief justice who twice has mounted gubernatorial campaigns in Alabama, has established an exploratory committee to consider a challenge to Barack Obama for the White House in 2012. Moore, whose plans were announced at RoyMoore2012.com, told WND that his campaign would be simple: telling people how he'd work on the problems facing America. And his administration, he said, would be simpler: just doing what he said.

"I think my dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men," West said. "It's understandable. As a young brother who grows up in a white context, brilliant African father, he's always had to fear being a white man with black skin. All he has known culturally is white…When he meets an independent black brother, it is frightening."

Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of World Net Daily Books, which published Corsi's work, said he never spoke to the magazine and that the book is "selling briskly." "I have never spoken to anyone from Esquire. Never uttered these words or anything remotely resembling them to anyone. It is a complete fabrication," Farah told The Daily Caller. "The book is selling briskly. I am 100 percent behind it. This has all the earmarkings of a White House dirty trick — but, of course, only the Nixon administration was capable of dirty tricks like that, according to our watchdog media." Corsi's book, titled, "Where's the Birth Certificate? The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President," hit stores this week. The book claims to contain evidence that Obama was not born in the United States.

In a stunning development, Jerome Corsi's birther book, Where's the Birth Certificate? The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President, has been recalled, its publisher announced Wednesday [BS]

for those who didn't figure it out yet, and the many on Twitter for whom it took a while: We committed satire this morning... [Poor, poor Mark Warren and Esquire. OOOPS!]

President Obama's 2012 presidential campaign today started selling "Made in the USA" t-shirts featuring images of both President Obama and the long-form birth certificate he released copies of last month. "Wear your support for this campaign with an official Made in the USA T-shirt," his website advertises. Donate $25 or more today and we'll send you your limited-edition shirt.

Several veteran and prize-winning journalists who covered presidents from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush say that the current crop of White House correspondents are too timid and deferential and have played a role in killing the impact of presidential news conferences.

The White House Press Office has refused to give the Boston Herald full access to President Obama's Boston fund-raiser today, in e-mails objecting to the newspaper's front page placement of a Mitt Romney op-ed, saying pool reporters are chosen based on whether they cover the news "fairly."

Reportedly the Iranian companies participating in the forum will be from the industrial sector, which includes producers and manufacturers of chemical materials, household items, paint and coloring, food stuffs and chocolate. A financial analyst is also expected to be accompanying the delegation. The Futurallia Forum is an annual international conference created for business and trade networking, as well as accessing ways to connect small businesses with larger trade outlets, financial facilities, as well as technological promotion and agreements for greater international economic growth. This is despite the U.S. sanctions put in place by the Obama administration. The Iranian leaders, who have continuously refused to give in to U.N. demands to halt their nuclear enrichment program and are under four sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions, must be jubilant that the Obama administration is backpedaling on the mandated sanctions and has allowed the State Department to issue them visas and host the delegation here in the United States.

The motivation is political — a cynical effort to restrict voting by traditionally Democratic-leaning Americans. In more than 30 states, GOP legislators are on the move, from a sweeping rewrite of Florida's election laws to new rules for photo identification in Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina and more than 20 other states. As a result, 11% of Americans —21 million citizens of voting age who lack proper photo identification — could be turned away on Election Day. And these people tend to be most highly concentrated among people of color, the poor, the young and the old.

Is grandma about to be thrown off a cliff? Wait until you see the latest shocking Medicare ad.

The Esquire story, written by Mark Warren, spread across the Internet moments after being posted on the magazine's website Wednesday morning. Esquire has said it was a joke and Warren told TheDC he has no regrets about posting it. "He is an execrable piece of s---," Warren said of Corsi. [Such good old reasoned thinking is hard to argue. Gagggg]

DAVID Cameron yesterday announced the start of Britain's withdrawal from Afghanistan. The PM revealed the first 450 troops will be brought home this year. But the move is bitterly opposed by military chiefs, who claim it risks throwing away the gains made by British forces.

Owners of Android smartphones are being warned to avoid public WiFi networks after researchers found a security flaw that could affect the vast majority of devices based on Google's software.

Nearly two dozen men were injured in an elevator accident Wednesday morning in Chelsea. It happened around 7 a.m. at the Bed, Bath and Beyond on 6th Avenue near 18th Street. Authorities said a freight elevator dropped three floors to the ground when cables supporting the elevator snapped.

United Airlines is apologizing for briefly restarting use of flight numbers of two planes that crashed after being hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001. United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson says the airline regrets the recent use of flight numbers 93 and 175, and has acted to remove the numbers from the airline's computer system.

The woman, who is in her 40s, responded: "I killed my son. I want to kill myself." She was taken into custody at the Concord State Police barracks. State Police officials confirmed that they are questioning the woman in connection with the discovery of the boy's body which was found fully-clothed under a green fleece blanket on Dennettt Road in South Berwick, Maine on Saturday.

The post, written by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan, instructs readers how to prepare for "flesh-eating zombies"

"I am not going to sit and debate the ethics of this," Wilson said. "But from his standpoint, he did what he was supposed to do -- he informed the state, and the state said he could keep using the card. The problem is with the state."

Japanese astronomers claim to have found free-floating "planets" which do not seem to orbit a star. Writing in Nature, they say they have found 10 Jupiter-sized objects which they could not connect to any solar system. They also believe such objects could be as common as stars are throughout the Milky Way.

A group of researchers agrees that Earth is facing a mass extinction event, but they are daring to overturn dogma on how fast species are disappearing. The researchers say they have discovered why current estimates are overblown, and they recommend a different way to calculate the rates.

Southwest Airlines has apologized to a mother and daughter... were told by a gate agent they each had to purchase two seats. "And said that we were, in fact, too fat to fly, without an additional ticket,"

The Gingriches were participating in a book signing before the Minnesota Family Council's annual dinner in Minneapolis when a protestor by the name of Nick Espinosa opened a box containing glitter and dumped it over the two of them. "Feel the rainbow, Newt," Espinosa said as he poured the box of glitter over Gingrich's head. "Stop the hate. Stop anti-gay politics. It's dividing our country and it's not fixing our economy.

Patrick Layton "Pat" Paulsen (July 6, 1927 — April 24, 1997) was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers TV shows, and for his campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives, although his campaigns generated some protest votes for him. [In honor of Newt Gingrich's presidential bid, RIP]

Today's first, and highly visible, self-immolation features Newt Gingrich. Readers will recall Newt attempted to make himself the face of the Tea Party movement when it first arose. It seems that getting hit with glitter was the high-point of his day yesterday, as he had to go on an apology tour regarding his comments about Paul Ryan's innovative entitlement reform program. Today, his spokesman said: THE BELTWAY LITERATI ARE TRYING TO DESTROY HIM!

Twenty percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters say they'd support the former Massachusetts governor, while 18 percent say they'd support the former Alaska governor. Newt Gingrich comes in third place with 11 percent.

NEWT GINGRICH: I didn't do anything to Paul Ryan. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you did. You undercut him and his allies in the House. You're an embarrassment to our party. GINGRICH: I'm sorry you feel that way. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself? [Video]

The former Alaska governor's political action committee, 2012 Can't Come Fast Enough, has reportedly sent out a mailing to South Carolina Republicans. "Taking back control of the House last year was only the first step," Ms. Palin writes in the mailer first reported by The Fix. "Now you and I must fix our eyes on 2012. Our goal is to take back the White House and the Senate." The move is the first indication that Ms. Palin remains interested in seeking the Republican presidential nomination. [First indication... heh!]

"We can't bridge the gulf of where we need to go on mandatory spending," Coburn said Tuesday afternoon. "I don't see that there's going to be any fruition in continuing them at this time. "We're at an impasse," Coburn continued. "There's no reason to sit and talk about the same things over and over and not get any movement."

A bipartisan "Gang of Six" senators is unlikely to reach agreement on a proposal to reduce the government's long-term budget deficits, Senator Tom Coburn said today. Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and member of the group, said his colleagues are "just too far apart on basic issues." Other members of the group said they remain hopeful for a deal.

Among our imminent and future voters — students in our schools — how many know about the separation of powers? In the National Assessment of Educational Progress — NAEP ("The nation's report card"): "Only one in 10 demonstrated acceptable knowledge of the checks and balances among the legislative, executive and judicial branches, according to test results released on Wednesday." (New York Times, May 4) And what of their parents? Of 1,000 citizens who were asked in a Newsweek poll: "'What is the supreme law of the land?' 70 percent of the 1,000 citizens polled by Newsweek couldn't answer correctly." (ABC News, May 13) Answer: The Constitution! Among the high-school seniors surveyed by the NAEP, three-quarters could not name "a power granted to Congress by the Constitution." What most startled me was "the nation's report card" revealing that "a smaller proportion of fourth- and eighth-graders demonstrated proficiency in civics (who we are as Americans) than in any other subject the federal government has tested since 2005, except history, American students' worst subject."