It’s the conspiracy theory that simply refuses to go away. Thanks to Donald Trump, and politicos on both sides of the aisle- who can’t seem to turn down a moment in the spotlight- President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is under the microscope yet again.

Was he or wasn’t he born in the United States? Where is Barack Obama Birth Certificate? It seems to be the question on everyone’s mind these days, and the timing couldn’t be better as the election cycle begins to really heat up. Even after a full term in office dealing with issues much more pertinent to the well being of the nation and civilization as a whole; the Obama administration continues to be dogged by the so-called “birther” issue. The real question is why? Why does it matter, especially now?

Apparently, the discovery of promotional materials circulated by Obama’s literary agency in 1991 claiming Kenya as his birthplace brought the issue back with a vigor. From the looks of things and the outlandish reactions resulting- it’s here to stay for a while or at least until the general in November.

Donald Trump took the lead and reasserted his doubts during an interview on CNN live just hours before he was slated to host a major Las Vegas fundraiser for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Romney, much to his credit, managed to stay out of the fray and stuck closely to the merits of his own presidential candidacy and how his stances differ from Barack Obama Birth Certificate.

Unfortunately, Romney is now under pressure from the left to “dump Trump” and refute his supporter’s allegations. It is one thing to call on a candidate to clarify his own stances, which has been done multiple times in the past- Romney is on record stating that he accepts the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s birth certificate- but it’s another to suggest a candidate can control the views of his supporters. This is a highly unlikely occurrence, considering how Romney has long struggled to connect with the Republican base on what little they do have in common.

Several other elected officials have been quick to add fuel to the fire as the debate nationally over President Barack Obama’s birth certificate continues. Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican U.S. Senate hopeful, has called for the creation of a new federal agency to check the validity of presidential candidates’ birth certificates. Yes, ironically, he is a Republican asking to create more bureaucracy. He’s also not alone in demanding a further layer of proof. The Legislature in Missouri just recently considered a proposal amidst heavy debate to require that candidates present birth certificates to the state’s secretary of state. Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett took it one step further, and outright requested the Obama campaign provide him with the President’s birth certificate in order to be placed on the state’s ballot- a threat he has since backed off of.

It’s truly regrettable that a conspiracy theory, which has been debunked multiple times, now threatens to overshadow the soon to be GOP standard- bearer’s race against Obama. The focus should be on issues that matter, like the economy and perhaps foreign policy.

Not to worry, the bickering is far from one-sided; Democrats have already fired back and are awaiting proof that Romney is indeed not a unicorn.