Stephanie
Diamond Member
- Jul 11, 2004
- 70,230
- 10,864
- 2,040
is this man (who is pretending to a leader of our country) intentionally out to HURT us?
SNIP:
The Obama administration presented the release of Bowe Bergdahl as an indisputably glorious moment for the country. Amidst the celebration on Saturday, Obama didnt bother to mention that Bergdahl was a deserter. Obama considered the swap of five of the most dangerous terrorists of the Taliban for Bergdahl worthy of a Rose Garden ceremony. Even for the release of a decorated soldier, that would have been a dubious idea, given the shocking, precedent-breaking character of such a trade. But for Bergdahl, whose story of desertion and possible treachery and collaboration grows more troubling with each new report, a Rose Garden ceremony seems almost like a parody of liberalism.
Obama administration officials, straining to defend the trade, noted that the Israelis have occasionally released Palestinian prisoners for hostages. But one cant imagine the Israelis ever executing such a trade for a deserter whose actions caused the deaths of soldiers (the number keeps climbing in press reports) who conducted a long and risky search for him.
According to Susan Rice, who professes perplexity at why Republicans still have questions about the administrations handling of Benghazi, Bergdahl served with honor and distinction. Rice said that Sergeant Bergdahl wasnt simply a hostage; he was an American prisoner of war captured on the battlefield. No mention of his deliberately leaving the battlefield. Obama, too, described Bergdahl as captured on the battlefield. But by Tuesday the Pentagons press secretary was using more cautious language, comparing at one point the recovery of Bergdahl to the recovery of someone who jumps from a ship.
Perhaps the Obama administration will claim ignorance again, saying that it only recently learned of Bergdahls deserter status from news reports. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, over the weekend, adopted a jubilant tone as if he wasnt exactly clear on the circumstances of Bergdahls departure from his camp and numerous other officials played dumb about his undoubted desertion.
The risks Obama took for the deal breaking the law by not notifying Congress, among others wouldnt be justified under any circumstances, much less these. Obama tried to give the deal a patina of respectability by casting it as part of Americas tradition of not leaving any soldier behind. But the release of terrorists has never been seen as a legitimate means of fulfilling that duty.
An administration caught out in recent weeks for its indifference to the health of soldiers was eager to argue that dire health concerns about Bergdahl justified its release of terrorists for him. Obama evidently hoped that the Rose Garden ceremony would arrest his flagging poll numbers after the VA scandal. But it has only raised new questions about the depth of the administrations amateurishness, recklessness, and dishonesty.
For the sake of one soldier, who may turn out to be as anti-American as his captors, Obama has now endangered the lives of countless new ones. He breezily says, This is what happens at the end of wars, as if the released terrorists will stop fighting theirs. They clearly wont. They were treated as conquering heroes upon their arrival in Qatar and will undoubtedly return to the fight.
ALL of it here
Amateur Hour | The American Spectator
SNIP:
The Obama administration presented the release of Bowe Bergdahl as an indisputably glorious moment for the country. Amidst the celebration on Saturday, Obama didnt bother to mention that Bergdahl was a deserter. Obama considered the swap of five of the most dangerous terrorists of the Taliban for Bergdahl worthy of a Rose Garden ceremony. Even for the release of a decorated soldier, that would have been a dubious idea, given the shocking, precedent-breaking character of such a trade. But for Bergdahl, whose story of desertion and possible treachery and collaboration grows more troubling with each new report, a Rose Garden ceremony seems almost like a parody of liberalism.
Obama administration officials, straining to defend the trade, noted that the Israelis have occasionally released Palestinian prisoners for hostages. But one cant imagine the Israelis ever executing such a trade for a deserter whose actions caused the deaths of soldiers (the number keeps climbing in press reports) who conducted a long and risky search for him.
According to Susan Rice, who professes perplexity at why Republicans still have questions about the administrations handling of Benghazi, Bergdahl served with honor and distinction. Rice said that Sergeant Bergdahl wasnt simply a hostage; he was an American prisoner of war captured on the battlefield. No mention of his deliberately leaving the battlefield. Obama, too, described Bergdahl as captured on the battlefield. But by Tuesday the Pentagons press secretary was using more cautious language, comparing at one point the recovery of Bergdahl to the recovery of someone who jumps from a ship.
Perhaps the Obama administration will claim ignorance again, saying that it only recently learned of Bergdahls deserter status from news reports. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, over the weekend, adopted a jubilant tone as if he wasnt exactly clear on the circumstances of Bergdahls departure from his camp and numerous other officials played dumb about his undoubted desertion.
The risks Obama took for the deal breaking the law by not notifying Congress, among others wouldnt be justified under any circumstances, much less these. Obama tried to give the deal a patina of respectability by casting it as part of Americas tradition of not leaving any soldier behind. But the release of terrorists has never been seen as a legitimate means of fulfilling that duty.
An administration caught out in recent weeks for its indifference to the health of soldiers was eager to argue that dire health concerns about Bergdahl justified its release of terrorists for him. Obama evidently hoped that the Rose Garden ceremony would arrest his flagging poll numbers after the VA scandal. But it has only raised new questions about the depth of the administrations amateurishness, recklessness, and dishonesty.
For the sake of one soldier, who may turn out to be as anti-American as his captors, Obama has now endangered the lives of countless new ones. He breezily says, This is what happens at the end of wars, as if the released terrorists will stop fighting theirs. They clearly wont. They were treated as conquering heroes upon their arrival in Qatar and will undoubtedly return to the fight.
ALL of it here
Amateur Hour | The American Spectator
