Trumped

What in the world is he up to? Can anyone imagine him having the patience to not only run, but to govern? Doesn't he understand that we have a president, not a supreme leader?

He's not running. He just can't be. So it's hard to figure why he would suddenly take on the birther cause. Some say for the publicity; yes, he's a master of PR and attention, but there are much easier and less risky ways to get it than going down this bumpy road.

Perhaps it's because he knows that by taking on a taboo subject others won't touch it will make him instantly the stand out guy, with the birther stuff not really bothering most conservatives. That would make sense if he were really running. But he's not. Even still, surely he's had private conversations with GOP movers and shakers about this birther stuff and he might know a thing or two about who really thinks what. Maybe he also knows what the Obama machine and their mainstream media wing are planning to do with all of this in the upcoming election cycle.

For example, it's not hard to imagine that every single GOP candidate will be given a birther litmus test by the press. If they answer too definitively it could be seen as a slam on part of the base ("of course I'm not nuts like those people", etc). But if they answer too wafflely it gets them nutter status from the left and could even be used against them by other primary candidates. It's a tight rope!

So maybe Trump is trying to deflate this balloon before it becomes the Hindenberg. Only a birther with his status could crack the big media bubble and be given the time to challenge the narrative without being yanked off the set. They all respect his business acumen too much to go nuclear--yet. So maybe the plan is that by making this an issue now (where was he a few years ago, for instance) it could force Obama to play his own 'trump card' too early--in response to his persistence and threats--thereby removing it from play when the real war begins.

Otherwise, we're left to believe the absurd--that he's really running and is simply rich and powerful enough to get away with challenging the first black president's bona fides, which propels him to the top of the pack. In this day and age that could be called courage--unless of course he's acting for the Democrats under deep cover....