• Posted on Monday, December 1, 2008
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Kentucky man demands proof of Obama's U.S. birth

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Kentucky is a red state with no shortage of conspiracy theorists and unusual politics, so it's no surprise that what might be the first post-election court challenge to Barack Obama's qualifications to be president comes from a Whitley County truck driver.

Daniel John Essek, 47, filed a demand last week that Obama prove he is a natural-born U.S. citizen — one of the few requirements to run for president.

Essek wants Obama to provide a copy of his birth certificate to a federal judge in London for verification.

He knows some people might find his request odd, especially after the election, but says he would tell them it's never too late to do the right thing.

"I may very well be chasing windmills thinking they're monsters," he acknowledged.

Essek lost by more than 100,000 votes when he tried to unseat longtime Republican U.S. Sen Mitch McConnell in the primary election this year. He later said on a Web site "maybe I got a little carried away, like my wife said."

The charge that Obama wasn't born in the United States came up often during the presidential campaign. Obama's campaign said that was ridiculous, posting a copy of his birth certificate on the Internet to prove he was born in Hawaii.

A Pennsylvania judge threw out a pre-election court challenge to Obama's birth qualification, saying its arguments were frivolous.

But Essek still has doubts.

Read the complete story at kentucky.com

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