Indeed, those frustrations came through with other birthers I spoke to. Some sensed that implicit in my question was the suggestion that their attention to the birth certificate issue did not stem from a sincere concern about constitutional law, but something else. They did not like this. Reader Larry Johnson said:

I see that you still have your head squarely placed up your ass. So the issue is what? Ted Cruz released his birth certificate with no hesistancy? I'm not a Cruz supporter, but his conduct in this matter stands in stark contrast to what Obama did. Cruz's status as a "natural born" American was and is a valid question. Unlike you, I don't pull my punches depending upon the political affiliation of the subject. You do.

Mickey Mathis, another reader, was especially upset:

Disgusting piece of human feces. You will lie, cheat, smear, intimidate, everything, to protect that illegal Marxist thug you helped put in the Oval Office to destroy this country from the inside. It is so laughable that you sewer slime have to already smear Cruz. So funny. Crawl back in the sewer you crawled out.

Mathis emailed a couple hours later to say:

I would say something else to you to, you piece of scum. At least Senator Cruz has a valid birth certificate, something your illegal thug can't even produce.

Pete Philips, another reader, felt The Atlantic Wire should have investigated Obama's background, not Cruz's:

Did Cruz seal ALL his college papers, did Cruz seal EVERYTHING about his life including which passport was used to exit the USA to go to Kenya or Pakistan, did Cruz Assume the Social Security Number of a deceased guy, did Cruz assume a SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER from a state where he NEVER lived, did Cruz have a grandmother who worked for the US Social Security Department, did Cruz have some identity during his school years where fellow students actually remember him as a class mate, did Cruz actually have a girlfriend or two during his schooling years? Did Cruz immediately release his birth certificate instead of holding off for a few years to then release one that is shrouded in doubt? No I had no doubt about Cruz’s citizenship, what I have a doubt about is your inability to do honest investigative reporting or your desire to even do so! I’m sure you have YOUR DOUBTS because he isn’t a liberal like you perhaps.

I surveyed chatrooms and comment sections for discussions of Cruz's release. Some thought it was plainly obvious Cruz is a citizen. Others were skeptical. But many were simply ambivalent — worried the Constitution might be subverted, but happy it might be subverted for the right person. "It’s not like anyone in Washington is going to force Obama to obey the law, so why make a good man like Cruz obey it," one commenter said on Free Republic. "America is doomed anyway." And here's a comment on TheRightScoop.com, which is not a birther site.

As much of a constitutional conservative as I am, in my opinion, we are at war. At war with the communist left that wants to dilute and destroy America. Rarely do those involved in war play by the rules - that does not mean we should disregard our Constitution, but if we are to take back this country and save it, we need to bend the rules a bit - use the left's weapons against them and hijack their narrative. You see, Cruz is the perfect candidate. The left had no choice BUT to deem him eligible because not deeming him eligible would mean that Obama is not eligible either - classic Catch-22. You cannot attack Ted Cruz because of eligibilty - because you'd be a phony birther (by their own logic). You cannot attack Ted Cruz because he's Hispanic, that would make you a racist.

Over the last few years, many Republicans have flirted with birtherism — that is, the legalities of eligibilty for being president — without embracing the claim that President Obama was born in Kenya. By March 2011, 11 state legislatures were considering birther bills, which required more proof that presidential candidates were citizens. In August 2012, Mitt Romney joked, "No one asked to see my birth certificate." (This was not actually true. As The Atlantic Wire reported, there was a small contingent of Romney birth certificate skeptics since his father was born in Mexico.) Romney embraced Donald Trump, who fake-ran for president on the birther platform in 2011. Though the Republican National Committee tried to keep Trump out of its 2012 convention by giving him an award somewhere else, the RNC didn't repudiate him. Trump was a major draw at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March. He's a regular political pundit on Fox and Friends.