What Rick Perry told Parade, exactly, about Obama birth certificate

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What Rick Perry told Parade, exactly, about Obama birth certificate

What did Rick Perry mean by his comments to Parade Magazine about President Obama's birth certificate? Read what he said and decide for yourself.

Nati Harnik/AP

Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition presidential candidate forum in Des Moines, Iowa, last Saturday.

By Linda Feldmann Staff writer

Oct. 24, 2011, 4:26 p.m. ET | Washington

Texas Gov. Rick Perry鈥檚 comments to Parade Magazine involving President Obama鈥檚 birth certificate have caused quite a stir and revived, yet again, the whole 鈥渂irther鈥� issue. It鈥檚 far from clear that he really doubts that the president was born in the United States. In general, his remarks are a bit odd.

In the interest of letting readers decide for themselves, we present the entirety of that portion of the interview, which Governor Perry gave to Parade contributing writer Lynn Sherr:

Governor, do you believe that President Barack Obama was born in the United States?

I have no reason to think otherwise.

That鈥檚 not a definitive, 鈥淵es, I believe he鈥濃€�
Well, I don鈥檛 have a definitive answer, because he鈥檚 never seen my birth certificate.

But you鈥檝e seen his.
I don鈥檛 know. Have I?

You don鈥檛 believe what鈥檚 been released?
I don鈥檛 know. I had dinner with Donald Trump the other night.

And?
That came up.

And he said?
He doesn鈥檛 think it鈥檚 real.

And you said?
I don鈥檛 have any idea. It doesn鈥檛 matter. He鈥檚 the President of the United States. He鈥檚 elected. It鈥檚 a distractive issue.