President Obama's birth certificate has lingered in the scandal sheets for over two years now.

                                             
                                                       Birth Certificate
                                                    

                                                       Barak Obama


The issue of President Obama's birth certificate has lingered in the scandal sheets for over two years now.The constant questions over his birth certificate, or lack thereof, have haunted Obama while triggering heated debate across the country. To the likes of Donald Trump, the lack of more concrete proof that the president was born here suggests a grave conspiracy. To others, it reflects the racism and hatred of Republicans and the Tea Party. But now that the White House has finally complied by releasing a long-form certificate at last, will it end the issue, or send it into new directions?

At long last, the demands of Trump and the Tea Party were met Wednesday morning, when the White House released Obama's much debated, and much doubted, long-form certificate of birth. Now the "birthers" will race to the White House website to see it, although time will tell how many of them are really satisfied.

Trump himself took credit for the release, telling ABC News en route to New Hampshire that he was "really honored" to play a role in the debate. Even if this kills the biggest issue that Trump had in his possible presidential run, he can still brag that he did what no other birther had done - intimidate the president into releasing it.

But the birther movement could still continue. After all these years of doubting the president's citizenship, the movement may have too much momentum to dissolve so quickly. Members can say that the document was forged and Obama is still hiding something that proves he is Kenyan.

With an election year coming up, any form of mud-slinging will be used to prevent the president's re-election. However, mainstream GOP candidates may be more relieved than anyone over the document release, since they know birthers may be more of a hindrance in a general election.

But if the birthers are finally silenced before 2012, the Democrats can't use them to attack Republicans in the election, which could backfire on the president. Now that Trump no longer has his biggest weapon, he could be a long shot even if he does run, leaving more respectable candidates like Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee to have an easier time.

If the more fringe elements of the GOP base split the primary vote, it could have made a general election win easier for Obama. But will the birth certificate release make that less likely to happen, or can the birther movement regroup to maintain its power?