Romney Mentions Birth Certificate, Firestorm Ensues

While touring in his hometown in Michigan on Friday, Mitt Romney decided to mention that "no one has ever asked to see my birth certificate, they know that this is the place where I was born and raised."

Romney's statement exploded into the political mainstream drawing ire and delight from pundits across the board. Nearly everyone has connected Romney's statements to the belief by some, that President Obama does not have a legal Hawaii birth certificate and may not qualify to be President at all.

The Romney team says that the statement was not meant to be a dig at Obama, but was simply meant as a joke in his hometown. Now, pundits are accusing Romney of being a "birther" that seriously questions the legitimacy of Obama's background. Others go even further, claiming that Romney is racist and this statement is proof.

I think the statement probably was a joke, but a stupid one that took the momentum of the political debate away from the economy and put it on a peripheral issue that has no bearing on the next election. If I were President Obama, I would be smiling right now.