WASHINGTON — Responding to critics' relentless claims, President Barack Obama on Wednesday produced a detailed Hawaii birth certificate in an extraordinary attempt to bury the issue of where he was born and confirm his legitimacy to hold office. He declared, "We do not have time for this kind of silliness."

By going on national TV from the White House, Obama portrayed himself as a voice of reason amid a loud, lingering debate on his birth status. Though his personal attention to the issue elevated it as never before, Obama said to Republican detractors and the media, it is time to move on to bigger issues.

"Over the last two and a half years I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going," said the president.
Click here for an up-close look at the birth certificate
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While saying he would not normally address such an issue, Obama said he wanted "to make a larger point" encourage the media and the American people to focus other issues, like the looming budget debate.

"I'm confident the American people and America's political leaders can come together in a bipartisan way and solve these problems," he said, before going on the warn, "We're not gonna be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."

Obama spoke shortly after the White House released a copy of the long form of his birth certificate, which contains more extensive data than a version released earlier.
Trump takes credit for birth certificate release

The certificate says Obama was born to an American mother and Kenyan father, in Hawaii, which makes him eligible to hold the office of president. Obama released a standard short form before he was elected in 2008 but requested copies of his original birth certificate from Hawaii officials this week in hopes of quieting the lingering controversy.

White House officials have said the issue was settled long ago. But so-called "birthers" opposed to Obama have kept it alive. Potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently began questioning why Obama hadn't ensured the long form was released.