Does Donald Trump stand a chance in 2012 without birtherism?

Now that the blustering would-be candidate's pet issue is no more, can he really sustain a campaign?

Now that birtherism is fizzling out, Donald Trump has latched onto another conspiracy theory involving Barack Obama's college records.
(Image credit: REUTERS)

Donald Trump rode the Obama "birther" conspiracy to the top of Republican presidential polls, and then claimed he'd been instrumental in getting the president to release his original birth certificate. But now that birtherism has been relegated (again) to the conservative fringe, has The Donald lost his one ticket to the GOP nomination? Or does the self-proclaimed presidential prospect have another card up his sleeve?

He'll find another conspiracy theory: Trump's already latched on to a "somewhat newfound interest in getting the college records of the young Barack Obama," says David Weigel in Slate. And this "grades" obsession is catching on. But if that conspiracy theory fizzles, perhaps due to its pretty obvious racism, there are plenty of other rabbit holes out there for Trump to jump down. And there are plenty of Republicans willing to follow him.

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