Romney: Get Over It, Obama Was Born in US

Mitt Romney tackled the "birther" issue in his first interview since announcing that he is exploring a White House run. "I think the citizenship test has been passed. I believe the president was born in the United States," Romney told CNBC, suggesting that his fellow Republicans should focus on more substantive issues. "The man needs to be taken out of office, but his citizenship isn't the reason why."

Romney is well placed to comment on issues relating to citizenship and the presidency, notes Daniel Freedman at Forbes. The Romney family lawyers probed the issue in the '60s when his father, George Romney, was seeking the Republican nomination. The Michigan governor was born to American parents in a Mormon colony in Chihuahua, Mexico. Romney's opponents labeled him "Chihuahua George" but his eligibility for the presidency was never seriously challenged, Freedman notes. (More birthers stories.)