Washington (CNN) -- The Obama administration is releasing copies of President Barack Obama's original long-form birth certificate, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer announced Wednesday.

Obama will discuss the decision to release the certificate Wednesday morning, the White House announced.

"The president believed the distraction over his birth certificate wasn't good for the country," Pfeiffer said. "It may have been good politics and good (television), but it was bad for the American people and distracting from the many challenges we face as a country."

"At a time of great consequence for this country -- when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, D.C., was once again distracted by a fake issue," Pfeiffer added. "The president's hope is that with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country."

Obama released a legally binding "certificate of live birth" in 2008, but many opponents of the president continue to assert he was born overseas.

You can see the birth certificate at the link.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/27/ ... rtificate/