Skeptic Project

CNN's Anderson Cooper took Texas birther and state Rep. Leo Berman (R) down a whole bunch of pegs last night over Berman's birther bill. "You're basing legislation on stuff that's just rumors and stuff that's been proven to be false," Cooper told him.

Earlier this month, Berman introduced a bill in the Texas House that would "require any candidate for president or vice president of the United States to show his or her birth certificate to the Texas secretary of state," because, as Berman put it, "we have a president whom the American people don't know whether he was born in Kenya or some other place."

Berman, who has also called President Obama "God's punishment on us today," went on AC360 to talk about his bill, but ended up fumbling through his notes when Cooper hit him with, you know, facts.

One representative exchange came after Berman asked why no one has access to any of the President's school records. "Why don't we know anything about a president who has such a radical agenda?" he said.

Cooper asked him: "Have you seen George W. Bush's transcripts from college?"

Berman replied: "I can see anything I want from George W. Bush."

"Actually sir, you couldn't," Cooper fired back. "Under federal law the schools cant release that information."

Berman, unable to respond to this, soon moved on: "Where are the president's passports and his travel records that got him to Pakistan in the early 90s, when no U.S. citizen could get to Pakistan at all?"

Cooper replied: "What you just said is factually incorrect," adding that Obama traveled to Pakistan in 1981 when Americans could still go there. "That's just an internet rumor that you're spreading," Cooper said.

Here's the full segment. It's about 12 minutes, but well worth watching for those who love a good birther smack down:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/anderson_cooper_shellacks_texas_birther_with_torre.php?ref=fpb