Obama shrugs off tale he is a Muslim

Rumors that he's not US-born also follow president

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama last week blamed a "network of misinformation" for keeping alive persistent rumors that he is Muslim, but he shrugged off the misconception as being out of his control.

"There is a mechanism, a network of misinformation, that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly," Obama said in an NBC television interview. "If I spend all my time chasing after (rumors) then I wouldn't get much done."