Obama pokes fun at birth controversy on Facebook

WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama switched his Facebook page on Thursday to the social network's new "timeline" format and poked fun at the controversy over his birthplace.

The first entry on Obama's revamped Facebook page lists his birthdate -- August 4, 1961 -- and provides a link to a coffee mug that features a picture of his Hawaiian birth certificate.

The mug, which is being sold by the Obama reelection campaign, has a picture of the birth certificate on one side and a picture of a smiling Obama with the words "Made in the USA" on the other. It sells for $22.50.

Obama released his birth certificate in April of last year to dismiss lingering claims by opponents that he was not born in the United States.

Facebook's new timeline features allows a user of the social network to display their life and comments in chronological format.

Obama's Facebook page, which is managed by his 2012 presidential campaign team, has more than 25.4 million fans.