It hit our inbox just like the chain e-mail attacks that made us want it in the first place, the final piece to a puzzle we've been sorting out for months.
Sen. Barack Obama's birth certificate.
"I know there have been some rumors spreading about Obama's citizenship, so I wanted to make sure you all had a copy of his birth certificate," Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor wrote in an e-mail.
The document shows that Barack Hussein Obama II was born Aug. 4, 1961, at 7:24 p.m. in Honolulu. His mother is Stanley Ann Dunham, and his father is Barack Hussein Obama. There is no Muhammed in his name.
The birth certificate wasn't available before because Obama's birth state of Hawaii does not make such records public and the campaign did not release it.
Shortly after we posted this document on PolitiFact.com, some readers questioned its authenticity.
"You have shown a Certificate of Live Birth — not a birth certificate," one e-mailed. "There is a difference. Look at state laws regarding the completion of both forms."
Another wrote: "I have serious doubts about the purported 'birth certificate' you were sent."
To verify we did have the correct document, we contacted the Hawaii Department of Health, which maintains such records.
"It's a valid Hawaii state birth certificate," spokesman Janice Okubo said after we e-mailed her our copy.
Okubo said a copy of the birth certificate was requested this month, but she wouldn't specify by whom. But as we know from our attempts to get one in April, Hawaii law states that only family members can access such records.
Amy Hollyfield can be reached at (727) 893-8491 or ahollyfield@sptimes.com.
Read more at PolitiFact.com
We've updated the story that prompted our interest in Obama's birth certificate. Read "Even missionaries botch their facts." And read our Pants-On-Fire ruling about the chain e-mail statement, "His true name is Barak Hussein Muhammed Obama."
[Last modified: Jun 24, 2008 11:10 AM]
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