Birtherism: Here's where it goes next

Now that President Barack Obama has released his "long-form" birth certificate, the "issue" is over, right? Right?

Wrong. Here's what happens next:

- Donald Trump, who hinted that he'd release his tax returns if Obama released the birth certificate, will hem and haw a bit before announcing that his busy business life (getting to five bankruptcies isn't easy, you know) unfortunately precludes a 2012 presidential campaign.

- The hardcore "birthers" -- Orly Taitz, Eric Dondeo, et al -- will split their time between scrutinizing the certificate for fonts that weren't available in 1961, manufacturing new "evidence" that Obama is actually a secret Islamo-Marxist infiltrator, and inventing new demands along the lines of "no, we meant the double-secret probation long form certificate -- I can't even buy a Pepsi at the grocery store with that thing he released."

- The steam will go out of state-based "show your birth certificate to get on the ballot" legislation. A few weeks from now, someone will hint that Republicans are racists, Republicans will object, and someone else will ask "then why did birth certificates suddenly become un-important to you as soon as the black dude produced his?"