Sentence:  I confess I do have some sympathy for the "<WSD>birthers</WSD>," though. As an outsider, it's hard to distinguish between the zany arguments that get official approval by the conservative establishment --- things like Bill Ayers, Michelle Obama's infamous "whitey" tape, the claim that Obama is a closet Marxist --- and those arguments that are considered beyond the pale. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A believer in the conspiracy theory that (Barack Obama), 44th President of the United States (2009–2017), was not born in that country, and therefore ineligible for presidency due to national law.