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Just hours after excoriating the "carnival barkers" who corral the gullible into darkened tents for a fleeting glimpse of "Obama: The Man Raised by Kenyan Wolves," the president found himself inside another kind of sideshow entirely: The Oprah Winfrey Show.

But what Obama had surely hoped would be a breezy hour swapping embarrassing Gayle anecdotes with his bestie quickly took a turn for the tense, however, as Oprah lunged directly for the 800-pound Certificate of Live Birth in the room.

"Why wait so long, though?" she pressed. "When it first came up, were you thinking, I hope I was born here?"

Why was the president's most powerful ally diverging so drastically from the script? Or wasn't she? Was it a mere coincidence that this high-profile interview should fall on Birther Day, of all days? And if it wasn't, then why? Well that's the real question, isn't it? "Why?" The how and the who is just scenery for the public. Photoshop layers. Rollerball pens. Keeps 'em guessing like some kind of parlor game.

Oprah's full interview with the president and first lady will air May 2nd. [Video via ABC News]