Sheriff Joe on Obama eligibility probe: 'Where there's smoke ... ' Amid probe, Maverick lawman's endorsement sought by top GOP candidates ..

While the top Republican candidates refuse to touch the issue of Barack Obama's eligibility, at least four are eagerly seeking the endorsement of America's best-known lawman, who told a gathering of Florida tea partiers yesterday that his "Cold Case Posse" probe examining the president's qualification for his state's 2012 ballot is in full swing.

Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known nationally for his tough and sometimes unorthodox enforcement of immigration laws..

"I have 4 million people in our county – that I know of," he said to laughter, referring to the indeterminate number of illegal alien residents in his jurisdiction.

"You don't see the regular media talking about it, which is interesting," he said, "because, I'm very controversial. I go to the toilet and I'm in the headlines."

"I've just got a feeling that nobody wants to touch it, and it's just going to fade away," he said. "I just have to do what I promised the people of Maricopa County. And I just can't ignore when 200 people from the tea party come to me and ask me to look into it."
Arpaio said it would be "a shame if I couldn't get anyone to look at it."
"You would think that if there is enough smoke someone would look at it," he said.
Heating up

"I talk to my guy quite often as to the major things that could come up," he said.

He added that "things seem to be heating up a little."

Arpaio said that aside from pursuing the microfiche angle, "We've got a couple of other things we're looking at that could be damaging, to show that maybe the president wasn't born in the United States." Those issues could be resolved fairly soon, he noted.

Arpaio said Obama must be aware of his posse because the president mentioned his name last month.

"If I were the president I would say, 'Hey, I want that thing released, and clear this whole thing up,'" Arpaio said. "Why doesn't he?"

He speculated that some Republicans might not like what he's doing, because it could lead to the election of Hillary Clinton.

Bring it on ..

"I don't know where this is going," he said of the eligibility probe, "but I'll tell you one thing: I'm not backing down. I'm not worried about politics.
"If I get defeated for going after this, well, OK."
He paused.
"But I'm not going to not get re-elected."
Sheriff Joe on Obama eligibility probe: 'Where there's smoke ... '  ;  click  for  more..