Foremost, the swap is illegal, and a bad swap at that. One apparently traitorous soldier for five apparently top Guantanamo prisoners.
Here is how a military-minded general type who knows he is engaged in war performs such a swap. "Give us our guy or we shoot our top prisoner. You have 24 hours to respond." And mean it, and be willing to do it. And the next day a fresh offer along the same line. In short, grow a pair, a big hairy stinking pair. And if you are unable to issue such a threat and unwilling to follow through with such tough horrible decisions despite the screams external and internal, then you simply are not cut out for the job of commander in chief especially during a war of your own making.
But what we have instead is absolutely every situation analyzed as strict politics. Nothing else matters, not the so-called war, not the militaries, not the soldier's lives. And certainly not projecting power. All of those things are subsumed first to ideology and then to politics. Always.
The law requires Congress to be notified before any action is taken, but our little prince, who says and does things from his bleak little political heart, and that only other like-feeling like-minded children understand, signed a statement contending that requirement is unconstitutional. That is, unconstitutional to his little princely royal requirements for doing whatever is necessary, that is, necessary for his political exigency. For a presumed constitutional scholar little prince sure does have strange ideas about the United States constitution and the pellucid intentions therein, intentions of clearly defined limitations on government, intentions of checks and balance to power.
Jammie Wearing Fools asks why Bergdahl's farther erased some of his tweets. It's obvious, actually, because they are damaging. The string of tweets from the father tells a different story entirely than than the weepy story Bergdahl's parents tell today across news channels.
The tweet stream published on JWF is quite damaging.
JWF refers heavily to CBS news report about Bergdahl feeling ashamed of being American. The record shows Bergdahl inquiring about carrying a weapon off base, and of an American wandering into villages asking for someone who speaks English.
This is a very bad trade, another desperate political move to get Obama's scandals off the news, and getting the children that follow our little prince to faithfully expound his utter contemptible failures as success, as they do.
[I was reading last night through comments to Bloomberg piece on Obama concentrating on Climate Change. (presently 18 hours ago in the thread) one commenter named Frank with 1,200 comments and no history whatsoever, no followers, no nothing, working overtime being silly with quips to all other comments, some activist come out of the woodwork who stated early, "All is OK with Obama as our President. We are happy (at least I am) knowing he is there to protect us. Have a wonderful evening. I've got to get ready for my date! Bye future Democrats! :)" Then persisted with absurd remarks, a lot of LOLing and seeming good nature, "I know you are, but what am I?" type childish remarks, including: "Boy, I bet Bergdahl's parents sure are happy about having their son back." A child's perspective considering the national gravity of obvious abuse of power for strictly political power. One that makes our soldiers in foreign lands much more vulnerable to kidnapping now that it is proven how feckless our leadership is.]
Apologies. This is a rapid post with minimal editing. Give ma a break. I want this up quickly. Ah! Synova got in.
Jammie Wearing Fools, seen on the sidebar at Ace.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=717986195212622043#editor/target=post;postID=2609159419598641558
Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html
CBS News.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bowe-bergdahl-us-soldier-held-by-taliban-was-ashamed-to-be-american-emails-show/
Bloomberg (climate change piece, nasty comment section, where activist types show up with nothing but childlike charm to foil the nastiness)
151 comments:
I guess this is one way to frame things. Not the way most would choose I suspect. There was one prisoner of war and the war is now coming to an end. A reasonable effort was made to ensure that no one was left behind.
Obama will always side with those who seek to destroy the United States. Once you understand that, and that he himself is doing all he can, legally and illegally, to further that destruction, you will understand what motivates him and those who support him.
"the war is now coming to an end."
Why do you say that?
This is his father speaking today a news conference at an Idaho Army National Guard facility in Boise:
“Bowe, when you hear this — and eventually you will hear this — you have a very devoted team around you right now in Germany," said Bob Bergdahl. "Listen to their instructions. We sent them. These are handpicked people. We’re on first-name basis with these people. They are true, they know what they’re doing, they’re here to help you, and they have our great gratitude.”
Odd. Is he tellling his son to tone down the anti-American stuff and/or not spout Islamist stuff?
Bergdahl was a deserter. He, chose to be a prisoner of war, ARM.
We should have left the jihadists, from both sides, dead on the battlefield.
Those who survive will be bringing the war to our shores due to the weakness of the Traitor-in-Chief.
Meanwhile, an American sits in a Cuban prison. 4 years+. What is dear leader doing about it?
If dear leader cannot benefit from a positive spin story from his sycophant media - nothing.
This is from wiki:
Accounts of his capture differ. The version offered by Bergdahl, in the video, is that he was captured when he fell behind on a patrol. Taliban sources allege he was ambushed after becoming drunk off base; U.S. military sources deny that claim, stating, "The Taliban are known for lying and what they are claiming [is] not true". Other sources said Bergdahl walked off his base after his shift or that he was grabbed from a latrine.
Further on in the article there is a suggestion that at least some of the stories about Bergdahl being quoted here are viewed as Taliban propaganda by the military.
You saw Dear Old dad and you knew something was screwy, then the facts came out.
I'd say this is impeachment bait.
I guess this is one way to frame things. Not the way most would choose I suspect.
Only among the trolls
There was one prisoner of war and the war is now coming to an end.
A deserter and the war is anything but over.
Maybe the troll, who can't stand a little mockery as much as he likes to give it, will think otherwise when somebody flies a 767 up his ass.
A reasonable effort was made to ensure that no one was left behind.
Benghazi ring a bell?
wow Lydia - how odd indeed.
This is from wiki:
Accounts of his capture differ. The version offered by Bergdahl, in the video, is that he was captured when he fell behind on a patrol. Taliban sources allege he was ambushed after becoming drunk off base
Hardly what one would call objective theses.
Both are self-serving.
Consider a few facts about the family.
And some more here.
Doubtless, everybody who served with him is under the same kind of gag rule the guys in Benghazi were.
PS For those who, like me, couldn't access the JWF piece from the link, that's what the second article is.
The illegality of it bothers me the most. Time and time again this president does this sort of thing and his supporters say "yes, but" or say nothing at all. The inaction and lack of response is inuring us to tolerate a criminal administration.
ARM, you left this part out of your wiki quote:
"During his unit's normal deployment rotation to Afghanistan, he deserted on June 30, 2009, near the town of Yahya Kheyl in the Paktika Province, which is in the south-east of Afghanistan, right on the border with Pakistan."
I don't know the true story, but it doesn't look like this is John McCain part two.
Rabel that quote is not on the wikipedia page I read.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowe_Bergdahl
People seem very keen to engage in personal attacks against someone who volunteered for military service when the facts are somewhat unclear and the military says that much of what is being repeated is Taliban propaganda.
Rabel I put your quote into Google and can't find that exact quote anywhere. Can you provide a web address?
Thanks for the heads up Chip.
The Tweets from a soldier who was there are veddy interesting.
https://twitter.com/CodyFNfootball
This story has barely started. I believe AllenS is correct, Bergdahl is a deserter/traitor.
ARM,
This doesn't seem to be Taliban propoganda -- from a 2012 Rolling Stone article on Bergdahl:
"In the early-morning hours of June 30th, according to soldiers in the unit, Bowe approached his team leader not long after he got off guard duty and asked his superior a simple question: If I were to leave the base, would it cause problems if I took my sensitive equipment?
Yes, his team leader responded – if you took your rifle and night-vision goggles, that would cause problems.
Bowe returned to his barracks, a roughly built bunker of plywood and sandbags. He gathered up water, a knife, his digital camera and his diary. Then he slipped off the outpost."
People seem very keen to engage in personal attacks against someone who volunteered for military service when the facts are somewhat unclear and the military says that much of what is being repeated is Taliban propaganda.
The facts are never clean are they, ARM. Why couldn't this guy be an open and shut case of a POW instead of a possible POS? Why do facts facts facts always intrude in your abject worship of BHO and his administration? OK that was rhetorical -- maybe you are starting to have doubts about whether this President can lead a nation like ours like adhering to a rule of laws. Are you not at all bothered by the legally of the negotiations?
There's also this at CBS News just this past March:
"A senior Defense Department official said that if Bergdahl is released, it could be determined that he has more than paid for leaving his unit - if that's what really happened - 'and there's every indicator that he did'."
Lydia said...
This doesn't seem to be Taliban propaganda
Maybe, although they apparently never spoke to the servicemen in question. It certainly doesn't definitively make him a deserter much less a traitor. And, again, the military does not appear to believe many of these stories since they promoted him twice while he was a captive. They may be wrong or they may have their own reasons for doing so but he remains our serviceman and it is appropriate to show a little respect for a US serviceman who was kept under brutal conditions for five years by the Taliban.
ARM - are you misinformed, or just willfully stupid?
Bergdahl was allowed food, recreation, and celebrations of Christmas. He was a volunteer Taliban possession, having left camp and gone seeking the Taliban.
The US military has been co-opted by progressives and MB operatives in the Pentagon. The military has become one huge social experiment under BHO.
Someone who deserts his position and seeks out the enemy is a deserter. Period.
ARM - are you misinformed, or just willfully stupid
I think he's a parody account -- somebody who followed us over from Althouse.
I cannot fathom the depth of loyalty ARM has for our current President and his policies -- no matter what they might be or where they may lead us. This is why I say he must be parody.
And I'm sorry if I poisoned the discussion by getting personal here, Haz.
We should be able to get lots of data from this soldier.
Not sure whether in the end it will help America or not, but it is too soon to slip into some trap like the Birth Certificate.
This is what Obama does, because all is ego.
Rivaling Steel Panther can't be easy, or everyone would do it.
Remember, Obama turned Romney's vision, in line with O Brother, Where Art Thou? as a guide, where "How we gonna be the damn 'REFORM' candidate, when we're the damn incumbant" on its head.
He said Romney would "return us to the same old failed policies of the Bush admin."
It worked.
Ergo brilliant.
Could be same thing here. Think of the book sales of the "genius" "hero" "mastermind" of the world that arranged it.
"Can you provide a web address?"
Wiki edit.
It was only up for six minutes. And it was unsourced, probably Wiki "vandalism." But it's not a lie if you believe it and it does look like he walked away from his unit. I'm open to evidence that he didn't but unless he volunteers it I don't expect to see it - too damaging for a lot of people.
Obama was being attacked, you see, the libs think, in an unprecendented manner because of his race.
Even returning a POW was attacked by these damn partisans, is the talking point or what "history*" will recored.
*Lib, lib, lib, lib-lib, lib.
There's more info on the family via deleted data (tweets) at Evil Blogger Lady
There are good odds if this cat gets on TV soon, the questions will be about how tough the conservative press was/is on him.
This isn't a joke.
Obama was being attacked, you see, the libs think, in an unprecendented manner because of his race.
Yes, it's a canard, a shield they wield to defend any truly reasonable criticism of this President.
Please God don't let Limbaugh call him a slut.
Or loose.
"shield"
It is a weapon.
GOP reacts like things are on the up and up, and then get attacked by pre-determined lines by pre-determined people at pre-determined times.
Then after a year or two the book.
And the movie.
The f*^(&%&% G9869*(^ movie.
chick I left a link from the Chive for you a few days back.
Spilled items as "seat savers" at a trade show or something it looked like.
Impressive.
GOP reacts like things are on the up and up, and then get attacked by pre-determined lines by pre-determined people at pre-determined times.
No. Even the President's track record is buried and ignored his handlers -- people with the mindset and mentality of ARM but who actually have influence.
It's the Plame Game, Ree Dux.
@Not Quite: Where?
People send me links via email. Always from a different accounts and unrecognizable. I sometimes look but usually just delete unseen.
This story is getting down right bizarre.
Anyways, and FWIW, "Bergdahl" is an interesting name -- it translates as "mountain valley" from German. Talk about hitting the highs and lows.
http://thechive.com/2014/05/27/genius-or-stupid-28-photos-2/genius-or-stupid-26-10/
I say impressive and inspiring.
http://comonocreerendios-lem.blogspot.com/2014/05/klem-fm_29.html?showComment=1401420982190#c7127216022695047886
I say this now; I didn't say it then and for that I apologize.
But nothing else, now or ever.
Sorry.
Tweets from a platoon mate and the price paid - 6 dead Americans.
NotquiteunBuckley said...
Remember, Obama turned Romney's vision, in line with O Brother, Where Art Thou? as a guide, where "How we gonna be the damn 'REFORM' candidate, when we're the damn incumbant" on its head.
He said Romney would "return us to the same old failed policies of the Bush admin."
It worked.
Ergo brilliant.
Baloney, he cranked up the vote fraud machine - as more and more evidence is showing.
Michael Haz said...
The US military has been co-opted by progressives and MB operatives in the Pentagon. The military has become one huge social experiment under BHO.
This was the inevitable conclusion to this hysteria. Now the US military is just one more arm of a vast left wing conspiracy.
I swear, one day we'll wind up under Sharia law and the Proggs will whine "Why did Bush let this happen??"
Rabel said...
it was unsourced, probably Wiki "vandalism." But it's not a lie if you believe it
This could be the new masthead for Lems. "It's not a lie if you believe it".
@ARM: Go check out my new masthead. I linked you, pal.
It is interesting that even Drudge has avoided participating in the character assassination of a US soldier.
AReasonableMan said...
It is interesting that even Drudge has avoided participating in the character assassination of a US soldier.
Middle column, six down.
An odd one.
Was Obama anxious to secure the release of the U.S. soldier?
Or was he anxious to get rid of the Gitmo detainees?
What's the motive?
Drudge has the lead story about the illegality, about which you of course have no opinion.
chickelit said...
Drudge has the lead story about the illegality, about which you of course have no opinion.
Because it is the usual pro forma bullshit. Impeach away.
It is interesting that even Drudge has avoided participating in the character assassination of a US soldier.
Only a Lefty would call facts "character assassination".
And a Lefty only has concern for a US soldier when he can be used.
Shouting Thomas said...
An odd one.
Was Obama anxious to secure the release of the U.S. soldier?
Or was he anxious to get rid of the Gitmo detainees?
What's the motive?
Well, since Choom doesn't care about real Americans, my guess is make himself look a tad more heroic in the face of the VA scandal.
Here is a reasonable question for you ARM.
Why is it so hard for this President to obey the law?
The law was not an onerous one. He had to inform Congress. He did not. He broke the law.
He is a lawless man.
Susan Rice assured us today that the administration had no need to consult w/ the Congress bc the Defense Dept. consulted w/ the Justice Department.
Now that's "pro forma bullshit."
Do we know if this lawless man will step down when his term is up?
Laws seem to mean nothing to him. He has a pen. He has a phone. He has a basic contempt for our Constitution.
There is no law that this man could break that would make people like ARM stand up for the Constitution.
He can do anything without fear of any consequences.
He has murdered American citizens without trail or jury.
Negotiated with terrorists and freed them to kill again.
Turned the power of the IRS on his political enemies.
Sold guns to Mexican cartels to be used to murder Border and drug enforcement officers.
Left an ambassador to die because he didn't care enough to stay awake and send help because he had a fund raiser in Vegas the next day.
No law will constrain his hubris.
No shame will ever stay his hand.
He is a lawless man.
He is a lawless man.
Lawlessness is the new reasonableness.
Obama really sounds bad when you guys put it that way.
If Obama has broken the law then congress should impeach him. Let's do this thing rather than just keep talking about it. Git r done.
Why?
He didn't do anything like saying a racial epithet or refuse to bake a gay wedding cake or contribute to an anti-gay marriage referendum. That is how you lose your job.
Freeing terrorist to kill again does not rise to the level of saying the n work in todays society.
He gets a free pass from you and your ilk.
He can commit any crime and never be impeached.
He is a lawless man. The law can not touch a lawless man.
Impeachment is just pro forma bullshit.
I think it is entirely possible he will do the same thing that Michael Bloomberg did when he wanted another term as Mayor when the citizens had voted in term limits.
He will find a way to circumvent the law.
It is only the Constitution. It doesn't mean anything to him and his supporters like ARM.
He is a lawless man. Why would that law stand in his way.
If Obama has broken the law then congress should impeach him. Let's do this thing rather than just keep talking about it. Git r done.
Doing my part by helping reelect my 49th Congressional District member. But these trials are done in the Senate. Both of my Senators are hopelessly in the tank for Obama.
At least you guys don't feel the need to attack the hapless Bergdahl. I respect that. Obama is capable of defending himself without any help from me.
Chip S. said...
Impeachment is just pro forma bullshit.
I doubt either Nixon or Clinton would agree with that.
Obama is capable of defending himself without any help from me.
Obama's going to join this thread? Cool.
About time he left his media cocoon.
chickelit said...
Doing my part by helping reelect my 49th Congressional District member.
Jesus, you've got Darrell Issa. That was a vote of confidence when they started yet another committee on Benghazi. Heck of a job Darrell.
Chip S. said...
Obama's going to join this thread?
Sorry I should have said, "Obama is capable of defending himself from any serious attacks without any help from me." Is that sufficiently specific?
Jesus, you've got Darrell Issa. That was a vote of confidence when they started yet another committee on Benghazi. Heck of a job Darrell.
@ARM: You probably think that these sorts of event occlude Benghazi. They actually make it worse.
It's amusing that you're working yourself into an indefensible position regarding the legality of Obama's decision. Are you doing this solely for contrarian reasons?
Obama has no fear of impeachment when he knows people like you will defend him no matter what crime he commits instead of standing up for the Constitution.
He is a lawless man. You and your ilk are his enabler.
You have an unusual talent for missing the point, ORO. So I'll s.p.e.l.l. it out for you:
Obama won't defend himself. He doesn't have to defend himself, bc no reporters will call him out on this.
Instead, he'll do what you're doing here: fake indignation over the impugning of a brave American soldier and ignore every fact and substantive issue raised by his critics.
Then he'll blame Bush for the whole thing.
Clear enough?
Sorry I should have said, "Obama is capable of defending himself from any serious attacks without any help from me." Is that sufficiently specific?
@ARM: To be honest, at the moment, I care more about engaging with you on the topic. Obama isn't here to argue but you are. So far, you're about the only person weighing to defend POTUS.
I often think that Obama's job is to exhaust all the goodwill that caused Americans to vote for him.
Although the crazies are cranking up another extortion scheme for blacks (reparations), I think that most people will assume the bill is paid in full once Obama leaves office.
We elected a black guy. He's contemptuous of the rule of law, and we will not impeach him because his presidency is more about the symbolism of payback for blacks than it is about performance.
The bill is paid in full once he leaves office so far as I'm concerned. That's why I've never been in favor of impeaching him.
Now, it's time for blacks to chuck the chip on their shoulder. I'm fed up with that act. Next time, I think we'll be ready to elect somebody who is actually qualified and interested in the job.
ARM, Go to the Army Times Facebook page and read the comments made by soldiers who served w/ Bergdahl. Read the 2012 Rolling Stone piece. Then come back and discuss. Thanks.
The bill is paid in full once he leaves office so far as I'm concerned. That's why I've never been in favor of impeaching him.
This idea cannot be allowed to spread because it's an existential threat the status quo of reparations and redistribution. Expect hard opposition, ST.
But I agree that he will never be impeached nor even reproached by guys like ARM.
ndspinelli said...
ARM, Go to the Army Times Facebook page
As we saw with the Lara Logan debacle, 'eye witnesses' are not always what they claim to be once they are subject to some pointed cross examination.
It is possible that Bergdahl did something wrong but the army is perfectly capable of sorting that out without the help of a little platoon of character assassinators repeating rumors. On the other hand he may be relatively blameless. Either way he has had a very rough five years, something none of us can fully imagine, and allowing him a little human dignity doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
I really don't understand why Obama chose this battle.
Nothing I've read today comes close to offer a convincing explanation.
This soldier is not worth this effort or this controversy.
ST, why is necessary for you to drag race into every single discussion? You are the most race obsessed commentator I have ever come across on the internets, to the point where it is a serious pathology. You are more obsessed with race than Crack and he has better reasons for his obsession.
chickelit said...
But I agree that he will never be impeached ... by guys like ARM.
I don't get a say.
Shouting Thomas said...
I often think that Obama's job is to exhaust all the goodwill that caused Americans to vote for him.
That's what is beginning to hit the Lefties and I think they're getting scared he'll poison the well.
AReasonableMan said...
ndspinelli said...
ARM, Go to the Army Times Facebook page
As we saw with the Lara Logan debacle, 'eye witnesses' are not always what they claim to be once they are subject to some pointed cross examination.
It is possible that Bergdahl did something wrong but the army is perfectly capable of sorting that out without the help of a little platoon of character assassinators repeating rumors. On the other hand he may be relatively blameless. Either way he has had a very rough five years, something none of us can fully imagine, and allowing him a little human dignity doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
Typical Lefty, because one person used an erroneous source, that means all sources are wrong.
Cute.
Every guy in his platoon, of course, is wrong because it kills the narrative.
And where, O where, is the troll's concern for a little human dignity for Lara Logan?
PS No such word as assassinators.
The word is assassin.
ST, why is necessary for you to drag race into every single discussion?
I don't.
My opposition to impeaching Obama is based on race and race alone.
If he were white, I'd join the posse to hang him.
Which is pertinent to this conversation.
Let me try to explain this very slowly to you, ARM, because you're dumb.
I'm opposed to impeaching Obama because he is the first black president.
That's why I brought race into this discussion about impeaching him.
You're a thick headed fool, and you imagine that I am a partisan, because you're dumb. Politics doesn't defined my existence, as it does yours.
Was this sufficient explanation.
Chip S. said...
Obama won't defend himself. He doesn't have to defend himself, bc no reporters will call him out on this.
Bill O'Reilly had a long Q&A session to himself and wasted it chasing empty winger conspiracy theories. Obama would probably welcome more of that nonsense. It made him look good.
Character assassinators is more poetic.
So, now do you get it, ARM?
The only reason I can see not to impeach, convict and remove Obama from office is because he is the first black president.
Not because of this. His actions in using the IRS to punish dissidents would demand his removal from office if he were not black.
I live in a town... Woodstock, NY... that used to proclaim itself as a capital of dissidence and claimed that it opposed the suppression of one's political enemies as a matter of conscience and principle.
That has all gone out the window now that their guy is in office. The lefties here are crowing that their guy used his power to destroy their enemies.
It's ugly.
I'm really not a partisan. There is no politician I support. I vote because... hell, that's what my momma and daddy taught me to do.
The left is bragging now that it foresees the end of the two party system. I live in a place where the left speaks without guarding its words because it assumes everybody agrees.
Breaking the back of the system that pits the two parties against one another, the only limit we have on governmental policy, is now the openly declared goal of the left.
And, they think this is a good thing.
What will Obama and ARM say when these terrorists are involved in attacks against our country and our interests as you know they will be sooner or later?
I know. Blame George Bush.
You do get a say ARM.
You can say that what Obama did was break the law. Violated the Constitution and the separation of powers. That he is wrong and should be held to account. At the very least to be censured and held in contempt of Congress.
But you will never say that. Any blatant violation of the law that he might commit is fine with you and others of your progressive ilk.
He is a lawless man. You are his enabler.
I'm still puzzled about why Obama chose this battle over this soldier.
I think there's a lot to this story that we don't know. Given the past performance of the Obama admin, I suspect that we'll have a hell of a time finding out what this is all about.
chickelit said...
But I agree that he will never be impeached ... by guys like ARM.
I don't get a say
Nice deletion and use of ellipses there ARM. I meant that you would never even reproach Obama.
God you are a tool and pedant to boot. I repeat, do you do this for some sense of contrarian thrill?
Why don't you go back to Althouse where you belong?
Character assassinators is more poetic
No, it just sounds stupid.
But Lefties love to rearrange the language because them words mean whatever they want them to mean.
Until I read a more reasonable voice than AReasonableMan chime in to defend the President's actions I'm just going to assume that ARM is phony tool putting on a show.
PS Off Insta, Bergdahl's platoon mates were forced to sing nondisclosure agreements, but, unlike the Benghazi guys, are taking to social media to make sure this guy is not made into a hero.
Let's see the troll show those soldiers "a little human dignity".
He is not defending the Presidents actions. He is tacitly admitting that it was illegal and daring the Congress to impeach him. Because Obama could break any law and ARM and his ilk would not care on whit about it.
Obama is a lawless man. ARM is one of his cult.
Check out Nice Deb, if you like. She has two posts in a row on the subject. I wonder where she gets her facts. She talks about Bergdahl's platoon mates and what they say about him, what he said, how he acted, what he did, how many died looking for him, not spreading rumors as suggested earlier here, rather, firsthand accounts, if firsthand accounts account for anything at all to partisans stuck on being completely thick, utterly immoveable in their preformed opinions that require all the juryrigging possible to maintain them. What claptrap flying buttressing we see tacked together ad hoc on the run in support of partisan views. Partisans of all stripes make me ill.
http://nicedeb.wordpress.com
Know who is more interesting to me than all this? The Tree house guy, Pete Nelson and his team. Because it's fun!
Mullah Omar is thrilled with the swap and declares it a big victory.
He's probably counting the days until he's once again ensconced in the presidential palace in Kabul.
You know who ARM sounds like?
Althouse:
Go ahead. He's daring you. Perhaps part of his motivation for the prisoner trade was a predicted political boost as the President's opponents are distracted into seeming to complain about the return of a hero and tripping all over themselves as they posture about impeachment.
Liberal's sense of irony and satire -- if that's what Althouse meant by "hero" -- is never uglier and more out of place as when people actually die for their country.
You know I think ARM is wrong and foolish and even stupid.about this but that is no reason to call him Althouse
That is just mean.
Incredible ending to tonight's Game of Thrones.
I was in WalMart, yesterday, and it occurred to me that maybe I'd pick up a Sunday paper.
But then I saw that there were none of those thick coupon insert sections like they used to have, so I didn't bother.
Bergdahl's former squad leader, Greg Leatherman said, "I'm pleased to see him returned safely. From experience I hope that he receives adequate reintegration counseling. I believe that an investigation should take place as soon as healthcare professionals deem him fit to endure one."
The moderator of Bergdahl's battalion's Facebook requested more respect to be shown. "I challenge any one of you who label him a traitor to spend 5 years in captivity with the Taliban or Haqqani, then come back and accuse him again. Whatever his intent when he walked away or was captured, he has more than paid for it."
I respect these two men's responses. Throwing accusations around may be emotionally satisfying but it is not how grown-ups should function in these kinds of situations.
ARM - How typical. You read an article about how Bergdahl's actions caused the deaths of other soldiers and then excerpt one or two sentences the author used so you can paint Bergdahl as an innocent waif.
Read this article in its entirety.
....it is not how grown-ups should function in these kinds of situations.
Yes, yes. Authentic grown-ups must tell every lie possible in further support of Barack Obama. That's your response, right? Never mind the actual truth, it's Obama's truth, and any "truth" that supports Obama that matters to you.
No, I excerpted the responses I respected.
Bergdahl is not evil and hardly the first man to become confused and act foolishly under the stress of fire. He is a US soldier who volunteered for his country to participate in one of the more difficult settings the army has ever seen. He is no hero but he deserves some level of respect, as his fellow officers recognize.
No, it is only Obama that matters to you. No one on the left is lying to support Obama. There is no shortage of negative commentary about Bergdahl, already quoted are excerpts from RS, CNN and the Slate. If anything they seem to go too far given the limited amount of unassailable facts available.
You are the one obsessed with Obama and you are the one who needs to drag partisan politics into every issue even when it is not warranted, such as this one.
First off, I agree with Chip Ahoy that this release event is a load. My reasons may differ however.
EBL's web site also has interesting information.
I am not going to personally criticize Bowe Bergdahl unless more information first hand implicates him in his own situation, past and present. Otherwise, if a shroud of official mystery is suspended around him, the odor of doubt will persist. I've been around veterans long enough to know how "war stories" can grow legs.
Here is what troubles me, and yes, it is about our current executive administration. My suspicions are aroused when ever a government official bluntly asserts they broke the law and had a right to do so...with out at least a bit of evidence of the details.
As I posted at EBL's place...
Troubling is Sec Hagel's assertion the justification for non-notification in accordance with law was the need to save Berdahl's life...e.g., implication that his health was in imminent danger and speed was of the essence. Troubling because Hagel utters those words, but then no one details anything about Bergdahl's health or condition at Landstuhl. Normally when one makes an assertion against the interest of law, one provides evidence of some kind.
In other words: Oh, look - SQUIRREL!
You are the one obsessed with Obama and you are the one who needs to drag partisan politics into every issue even when it is not warranted, such as this one.
Suuuuure. And you don't engage in partisan politics?
And, sorry, you don't get to tell me, or anyone, for that matter, when a discussion about politics is or is not warranted.
ARM said ...
No, it is only Obama that matters to you.
If you read my comment above I think you will gather that in my opinion it IS all about the Obama administration, and Sec Hagel in particular. His declarations alone are astounding.
I spent enough time in uniform and as a military "Fed" (Army) to know that there is no reason on this earth that Hagel and others could not have notified the designated members of Congress. They have security clearances just like he does....and would be bound to silence just as he was prior to the exchange. Rumor has it that this particular exchange has been on proffer for over two years. The is NO bona-fide reason the law was not complied with...NONE. Sec. Hagel is a liar.
I for one, who has a fair amount of experience with government and liars there-in, am about full up on senior executives who look you in the eye and lie when they know you know full well they are lying. Think about it.
Then, if called before an investigating element, they act as if that you dast ask a question is beyond reasonable. I've had to deal with too many to count. But, two of the best at this, that everyone knows, are former IRS folks Steven Miller and Lois Lerner...their facial expressions of haughty contempt could win Academy Awards.
Just occurred to me that his exchange affair clearly symbolizes the headline moto here on Lem's blog...
“The untruth seems plausible only when words are used for their emotional connotations, but never defined.”
Shit...I done kilt me another thread ;)
You didn't kill it.
Everyone just deserted.
Let's hope that they don't trade more terrorists to get it back. Just sayn'
Great post, Chip.
This whole thing is WTF.
ST asks "why now?" and I'll reply that Obama actually hits a trifecta. He gets the VA scandal off the front-page; he gets to bask in the good PR of an American citizen returned home; and he removes a thorn-in-his-side by removing one of the main obstacles to closing GITMO, i.e., that we have nowhere else to house the "worst of the worst." And now most of them will be gone. That they may return to do damage to Americans or US national interests? Who cares? Obama, Holder et al will be long gone from govt with Obama on the links daily in Hawaii. "What, me worry?"
Obama Doctrine: Don't not do stupid shit.
Obama Doctrine;
Leave no law unbroken.
I never thought of walking on the grass until I saw a sign saying 'Keep off the grass.' Then I would stomp all over it.
~Saul Alinsky
O. Doctrine: Win the news cycle, by any means necessary.
It's a fire hose of fraudulence and corruption incompetency and lack of transparency. And it's "political" and/or "racist" to point that out.
Bergdahl is not evil and hardly the first man to become confused and act foolishly under the stress of fire.
Reported by James Rosen:
A senior official confirms to Fox News that the conduct of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl -- both in his final stretch of active duty in Afghanistan and then, too, during his time when he lived among the Taliban -- has been thoroughly investigated by the U.S. intelligence community and is the subject of "a major classified file."
In conveying as much, the Defense Department source confirmed to Fox News that many within the intelligence community harbor serious outstanding concerns not only that Bergdahl may have been a deserter but that he may have been an active collaborator with the enemy.
The Pentagon official added pointedly that no relevant congressional committee has sought access to the classified file, but that if such a request were made, key committee chairs would, under previous precedent, likely be granted access to it. Separately, the Pentagon confirmed Monday that it is looking into claims Americans died during the search for Bergdahl.
The administration announced over the weekend that Bergdahl's release had been secured, in exchange for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. President Obama was joined by the soldier's parents in making a public statement on the release Saturday evening from the Rose Garden.
Sources told Fox News that many officials in the Executive Branch are "quite baffled" by the White House's decision to allow the president to stand alongside Bergdahl's father this past weekend, given the father's history of controversial statements, emails and online posts.
Asked Monday about reports that Bergdahl's father was communicating on Twitter with a man described as a Taliban spokesman, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney declined to comment on those reports but defended the administration's handling of the release.
"The fact is they are the parents of Sergeant Bergdahl. Their son was held in captivity for five years," he said. "And it was absolutely the right thing to do, for the commander in chief, for this administration to take action to secure his release, the last prisoner of war from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars."
Asked whether Obama stands by National Security Adviser Susan Rice's claim Sunday that Bergdahl served with "distinction," Carney said the president "stands by actions that he took as commander in chief" to secure his release.
Another administration official, whose duties are focused on counterterrorism, told Fox News when asked about the status of any investigations into Bergdahl's initial disappearance and his conduct over the last five years: "Everybody's looking at this. He's not going to get a free pass" in the interrogations that Bergdahl will face during his repatriation process. "He's going to have a lot of questions to answer -- a lot. Is he a hero? No."
Although this source had not seen the classified file described by the Pentagon source, the counterterrorism official agreed that given the high priority attached to the Bergdahl case over the last five years, the need for clarity about Bergdahl's actions before and during his time with the Taliban "would have been a high priority for intelligence tasking."
Asked if the process of repatriation would include questioning of Bergdahl geared towards determining whether he engaged in any forms of collaboration with the enemy, the counterterrorism official replied: "Of course. ... It's there. This is extremely untidy."
Officials noted that there were more than 50 cases in the Korean War where U.S. service personnel categorized as POWs were investigated for possibly having collaborated with North Koreans or the Chinese during that conflict.
James Rosen joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in 1999. He currently serves as the chief Washington correspondent and hosts the online show "The Foxhole."
He's going to have a lot of questions to answer -- a lot. Is he a hero? No.
Overheard:
He is going to get the hero treatment with a parade, a POW Medal (and probably a Bronze Star and Purple Heart), five years of back pay (at one point, they were also giving POWs the max per diem for the highest rate anywhere for every day in captivity), a meal with the POTUS, a GC Discharge, VA disability and pension, and a book deal, TV appearances with a possible movie script, if they can figure out how to spin his desertion in combat as a honorable thing.
Watch and see. link
By Rebecca Shabad in The Hill:
Soldiers who served with Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan are claiming he is a deserter who walked off his base in June 2009, but the Pentagon says it still doesn’t know exactly what happened.
“We still don’t have a complete picture of what caused him to leave his base that night,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said on CNN’s “New Day” Monday.
A number of Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers are speaking out after his rescue by U.S. Special Operations forces on Saturday night, after being held for five years by the Taliban.
Nathan Bradley Bethea wrote in The Daily Beast on Monday that they both served in the same battalion.
The night before he disappeared on June 30, Bethea said Bergdahl was on guard duty at a small outpost. The next morning, he failed to show up for morning roll call. Soldiers discovered his body armor, rifle, helmet and web gear in a neat stack, with his compass left behind, Bethea wrote.
“The truth is: Bergdahl was a deserter, and soldiers from his own unit died trying to track him down,” he said.
Soldiers were then forced to remain silent about Bergdahl’s disappearance and the search for him, Bethea added, which led to some soldiers losing their lives.
"I was pissed off then and I am even more so now with everything going on," Former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon, told CNN. “"Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."
His former squad leader, Greg Leatherman, told CNN “I believe that an investigation should take place as soon as healthcare professionals deem him fit to endure one."
At least six U.S. soldiers died hunting for Bergdahl, CNN reports.
Many of his fellow troops also told CNN that they had to sign nondisclosure agreements to never share information about his disappearance and the hunt for him.
On Sunday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel deflected questions about the nature of his 2009 disappearance and said his health is the top priority.
The late Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings had obtained emails in 2012 that indicated Bergdahl told fellow soldiers before he was gone that he no longer supported the U.S. effort in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Kirby said Monday that whether he deserted or not, being held by the Taliban for five years is a “pretty high price to pay after walking off a base.”
Excellent article by Stephen F. Hayes of the Weekly Standard.
Too long to copy, and well worth your time to read.
@Haz: Your last link doesn't work.
Parents of fallen soldier:Our son died looking for Bergdahl and the military lied to us about it.
Repaired, thanks Chick.
Cutting through the Obama-protecting fog being furiously generated by ARM, we have this report, from the Miami Herald, reposted in the Daily Beast (note, neither is an Obama-bashing outfit, anything but):
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit before being captured by Taliban associates, a Pentagon investigation found in 2010, according to a senior defense official. Bergdahl was freed this weekend after the U.S. agreed to trade five Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay for his release.
The official said it's "incontrovertible" that Bergdahl walked away, and though the military initiated an early frenzied rescue effort, it apparently later decided not to make a more dramatic attempt. As first reported by The Daily Beast, an officer who served with Bergdahl in his unit dispelled rumors that Bergdahl was on patrol that night, saying he "fled the outpost on foot. He deserted."
And, as far as the President violating the law, the White House admits that he did:
A senior administration official, agreeing to speak on the condition of anonymity to explain the timing of the congressional notification, acknowledged that the law was not followed. When he signed the law last year, Obama issued a signing statement contending that the notification requirement was an unconstitutional infringement on his powers as commander in chief and that he therefore could override it.
“Due to a near-term opportunity to save Sergeant Bergdahl’s life, we moved as quickly as possible,” the official said. “The administration determined that given these unique and exigent circumstances, such a transfer should go forward notwithstanding the notice requirement.”
The indifference of so many "progressives" to this Administration ignoring and violating the law, and refusing to enforce the law, will come back to bite them.
When there's a GOP President, the precedent will be set.
It's simply astonishing the lengths to which people will go to defend their favored politicians.
Sorry; the last citation was from this article in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bergdahl-release-arrangement-could-threaten-the-safety-of-americans-republicans-say/2014/05/31/35e47a2a-e8ff-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_print.html
All due respect, Father, but "when there's a GOP President" dissent will again be patriotic and the limitations on the government imposed by the Constitution will be sacrosanct.
The press will go back to questioning, with great ostentatious skepticism, every pronouncement that comes out of the White House. This "precedent" you speak of only applies to Dems.
"Incredible ending to tonight's Game of Thrones."
It really was eye-popping. More gory fun is in the offing. (I read the books.) Do you watch Silicon Valley? Like that one.
Amartel:
I understand; but having some in the media bleat about it doesn't stop the President from disregarding the law.
Remember, "the media" are no longer monolithic. Some of the most forceful "media" outlets are critics of Obama (Fox, Limbaugh, talk radio, WSJ, and lots on the Internet). So the problem isn't that "the media" are supine; but that Congress and a lot of the American people are going along with it.
Back to the Fr. Fox topic, if Obama was a Republican he would have already been impeached toward the end of his first term and would never in a million years have been re-elected. The power of the press - it has nothing to do with his policies. If he had been re-elected we'd be on to impeaching President O'Bumble (Biden) by this point, or he might already be gone and we'd be on to President O'Boehner.
Doom and gloom.
Fr Fox cited ...
“Due to a near-term opportunity to save Sergeant Bergdahl’s life, we moved as quickly as possible,” the official said.
The official was likely Sec Def Hagel, or a minion to lend mystery to it,...since Hagel had already said as much when bluntly declaring breaking the law was justified on life/death basis.
Here's the problem, to date no one has said exactly what condition was placing Bergdahl's life in danger. They also conveniently ignore the simple matter that this particular swap arrangement was first proffered two years ago. That pretty much says the no time issue is nonsense. Okay...what made it urgent now? Malaria? Severe Dysentary? What? No need to violate personal privacy issues, just say what the exigent circumstance was. BTW...I've had Dysentary twice and I'd say it is life threatening if severe, like 4+ weeks and on going, and the person is over 25 YOA without adequate nutrition and medication.
Shit...they could have made up a infirmity...that they cited life in danger without any citation at all makes the whole thing reek like last weeks night soil.
And as usual, I cite my time in the miltiary as a soldier and as a Army "fed"...everyone in authority is lying their f'ing ass off on this...so you have to wonder why?
The news media that seeps down to the vast majority of our fellow citizens is monolithically stupid and "progressive." (See, e.g., the MSNBC host that thinks Michelle Obama can sign bills into law.) Also, the school system is monolithically progressive. I was well into college before I started to really question what my professors were telling me even and despite the constant exhortations to "question authority." I suddenly realized around sophomore year that, hey, you guys are authority! It was somehow in my mind always presumed that profs were not responsible, they were apart from and outside the system, and therefore not authority to be questioned whereas, of course, Bad Ronnie and his corporate lackeys were responsible for everything and needed questioning. Of course there are conservatives here and there and conservative news outlets and they're making a dent but people don't like to think and it's easier to run with the herd and dismiss and ridicule a new and different viewpoint (Faux News) than to take the time to think about it and do a little research, see if it makes sense.
Not just Fox -- the New Yorker's Jeffrey Toobin on CNN: Obama ‘Clearly Broke the Law’ with Bergdahl Exchange
Amartel:
I have no desire to defend anyone in the media, or to minimize their failures, but...
Fox News -- hardly a bunch of toadies for Obama -- is far and away the dominant single media outlet today. None of the other broadcast and cable news outlets come close.
So the notion that "the media" is protecting Obama doesn't work. Some in the media are protecting him; others, not.
Here's what I think you may be remembering: the old days when "the media" were a relatively tight crowd, and they were indeed monolithic.
But those days are gone forever; now what we have is a lot of conflicting messages in the media, and I think lots of Americans just tune it out.
Do you watch Silicon Valley? Like that one.
Yes, I think it's excellent. Really sad about the death of the actor who plays Peter Gregory, though.
Sesame seeds!
Fr., Fox News is a giant ... in cable news. When you add all the progressive news channels, plus TV shows and movies and other entertainment which passes as cultural authority, not so much. People who get their news from Jon Stewart are actually the more educated progressives. They are semi-informed about one perspective. The rest of them get it from The View or Yahoo news and the like. And Toobin, like so many prog cogs has to occasionally make a stand, for the sake of appearances. He'll be right back to toe-ing the Administration's line, like, five minutes ago. It's like Bill Maher occasionally stumbles over truth and brays about it, like he's so brave and politically incorrect. Then immediately goes back to saying republicans are all secretly klansmen etc. etc.
Peter Gregory RIP
"Have many of you ever eaten at Bur-gur King?
Well, I was just driven past one. And while I know that their market cap is $7 billion plus, I realize I am unfamiliar with their offerings. Is it popular among your peers? Is it. . . enjoyed?
And their selection consists solely of these bur-gurs of which they are presumably king?"
Actually, I got interested in Silicon Valley after reading about the Peter Gregory motivational speech in the first episode. There's hope for us yet.
PETER GREGORY: Gates. Ellison. Jobs. Dell. All dropped out of college. Silicon Valley is the cradle of innovation because of dropouts. College has become a cruel, expensive joke on the poor and the middle class that benefits only the perpetrators of it – the bloated administrators.
HECKLER: You are a dangerous man! Spewing ignorance!
GREGORY: I don’t think so. I’m just saying people should trust themselves more than a system that happily churns out unemployed debtors and provides dubious value.
HECKLER: The true value of a college education is intangible!
GREGORY: The true value of snake oil is intangible as well.
HECKLER: Fascist!
Silicon Valley is the cradle of innovation because of dropouts.
Is that what they're teaching now? It conveniently overlooks William Shockley, Gordon Moore, and Arnold Beckman's money.
GREGORY: The true value of snake oil is intangible as well.
LOL.
But as I recall Silicon Valley is what it is in large part because a lot of the earlier generation of tech guys came through Stanford and liked the area, so they stayed. And it became something of a feedback loop over time.
Of course, these days Silicon Valley is Silicon Valley because of the collusion of guys like Jobs, Ellison and such to push wages down for their employees by importing programing labor and exporting production.
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