Birther Bill Is Surprisingly Popular

It was, indeed, an issue:

8/11/2008
Robinson vs. Bowham
http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2008cv03836/206145/1/


7/11/2008
New Life to a McCain Birth Issue
By Adam Liptak, NYT
In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain’s eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain’s birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that the president must be a “natural-born citizen.”
[...]


3/12/2008
McCain "Natural Born" Question Going Before Judge
By Brian Montopoli, CBS News

Why McCain Cannot be President; Eleven Months and a Hundred Yards Short of Citizenship
http://www.michiganlawreview.org/articles/why-senator-john-mccain-cannot-be-president-eleven-months-and-a-hundred-yards-short-of-citizenship


2/29/2008
McCain's citizenship called into question
Candidate, born in Panama Canal Zone, may not qualify as 'natural born'

2/28/2008
McCain’s Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out
By Carl Hulse, NYT

And a congressional "statement", its interpretation, is not binding on the courts.

When you say that "Democrats in Congress acted like adults", what you actually mean is that Democratic leadership treats the members of its caucus and its constituents like children.  Like when the congressional Black Caucus members tried to object to the election outcome on the floor of the House and no Senator would sign the objections.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost