GOP headache: The birther issue  —  So far, Hoekstra hasn't faced any such questions.  —  “When you're in a state with 15.2 percent unemployment,” he said, “most people have other things on their mind than this.”  —  But as if to illustrate the touchiness of the subject, Hoekstra quickly added: “Not that this isn't important.”

The hidden hand  —  The wave of publicity for the Birther movement hasn't yet crested, with the dentist who's the movement's leading legal light, Orly Taitz, saying she's taping the Colbert Report tomorrow, and popping up elsewhere in the mainstream media.  —  This isn't necessarily a bad thing …

It's OK, I'm Over You  —  The Politico informs us that the birthers are giving the GOP “headaches.”  Like I said last week, I don't see why fringe crazies like should worry too much about fringe crazies making them look like fringe crazies, and what isn't crazy about the GOP nowadays?

Inhofe Clarifies Claim That Birthers “Have A Point,” Blames White House  —  As you've already seen, Senator Jim Inhofe made a big splash today by telling the Politico that the birthers “have a point,” adding that he doesn't “discourage” their movement.  —  But he's now clarifying his claim …

The Henry Louis Gates “Teaching Moment”  —  The arrest of Harvard African-American Studies Professor Henry Louis Gates has certainly got everyone talking.  Unfortunately, everyone's talking about the wrong issue.  —  Responding to a 911 call from a woman who observed Gates prying open …

A Straw In The Wind In Favor Of Gates  —  Interesting - the 911 caller asserts, and the Cambridge Police confirm, that she didn't mention the race of the suspected in-breakers when she made the 911 call.  Gates had made a similar claim to the effect that the caller could not have seen …

The Fury of the ‘Birthers’  —  A detail of President Barack Obama's birth certificate, from The Annenberg Political Fact Check (FactCheck.org), a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.  —  Post your comments below  —  President Barack Obama turns 48 next week.

Elected Birthers on the Hill  —  Thanks to FireDogLake and Campaign Silo for giving me the opportunity to do this work!  —  Check out this video: several Republican Congressman tell me they don't believe Barack Obama is an American.  Several dodge the question.