Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing

[Luddly Neddite]

Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing



A former Bush administration official broke with Republicans on Tuesday to defend President Obama’s prisoner exchange, arguing that since “the war in Afghanistan is winding down,” the United States would be required to return prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay back to Afghanistan.



“I don’t see how these particular Taliban officials could ever have been tried in the southern district of New York,” John Bellinger, who served as an adviser to President George W. Bush explained during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday. “They’re certainly some Al Qaeda detainees who committed actual terrorist acts against Americans who perhaps could have been tried in a federal court because they committed federal crimes, but these particular Taliban detainees I think could never have been tried in federal court.” Although some of the released prisoners posed a danger to the United States when they were captured in 2002, especially toward soldiers serving in Afghanistan, several of the detainees did not commit crimes against Americans.


*snip*


Asked about reports that Bergdahl deserted his unit, Bellinger added that the former hostage “will have to face justice, military justice.” “We don’t leave soldiers on the battlefield under any circumstance unless they have actually joined the enemy army,” he said. “He was a young 20-year-old. Young 20-year-olds make stupid decisions. I don’t think we’ll say if you make a stupid decision we’ll leave you in the hands of the Taliban.”


Though Cheney told Fox News on Monday that he would not have agreed to the deal, Bellinger stressed that the Bush administration “returned something like 500 detainees from Guantanamo.” Statistics from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence show that only 6 percent (5 in total) of Guantanamo detainees released during the Obama administration have potentially engaged in militant activities. That compares with a rate of nearly 30 percent under the Bush administration.

Think Progress? Really?

There are only two reasons to attack the source:

One is, its wrong, incorrect and Bellinger did not say that.

The other reason is he did say it and you can't argue that fact.

Which is it?

 

[BlindBoo]

Does international law not count?

Republicans were going to clobber Obama over this no matter how he did it. That is the point, as I see it, of the OP - the wildly inconsistent standards of Congressional Republicans for Bush as opposed to Obama. I don't recall Lindsey Graham threatening to call for Bush's impeachment over his released prisoners.

Horrible. Obama to Leave US POW to Rot in Afghanistan After Withdrawal | The Gateway Pundit

Horrible. Obama to Leave US POW to Rot in Afghanistan After Withdrawal
Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 9:34 AM


Sgt. Bowe Robert Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in 2009 in Afghanistan.
Four months ago, his family in Idaho received a letter from their son through the Red Cross.
He was still alive.

But sadly it looks like Barack Obama is going to leave US POW Sgt. Bowe Robert Bergdahl behind.

Obama will leave Bergdahl to rot in Afghanistan after US forces bail out next year.

No one is upset that we got Bergdahl out. They are upset that Obama released 5 really high level, nasty terrorists to do it. It's a precedent that sets a price on other soldiers heads. The Taliban now knows how to force Obama to get their players back. Even after 6 years of OTJ training, Obama isn't ready for primetime.

What were the crimes against Americans these nasty Taliban terrorist committed? When and why were they captured?

 

[KissMy]

Obama could have pulled a Bush & let 10 Al-Qaeda Terrorist go for nothing in return.

Also Taliban POWs are not Al-Qaeda Terrorist or OBL that Bush let go.

Now Obama gets to kill these Taliban & all their supporters with a drone as soon as they pick up a weapon.

Obama has killed 6 times more Al-Qaeda Terrorist than Bush did in his entire 8 years in office.

 

[Oldstyle]

Luddly, you're going to have a hard time selling the narrative that THIS American was worth giving up 5 top level Taliban terrorists to get back. It's got nothing to do with the mythical "Obama derangement syndrome" and everything to do with this simply being a stupid thing to do. It's the reason that Hilary Clinton was against it as was Diane Feinstein. I suppose now you'll make the case that THEY suffered from ODS as well?

 

[hazlnut]

You know that some are desperately grasping for straws if they have to stoop to this as an attempt to defend the admin.

It's called context and perspective... get some.

 

[Oldstyle]

And yes...I'll mock anyone that cites Think Progress. It's an admission that you troll for information in places that are ridiculously biased.

 

[birddog]

Even though I didn't always agree with Dubya, he was a fairly good President, far superior to the scumbucket we have now! Bush's biggest fault was that he was too easy on the opposition.

 

[Synthaholic]

Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing



A former Bush administration official broke with Republicans on Tuesday to defend President Obama’s prisoner exchange, arguing that since “the war in Afghanistan is winding down,” the United States would be required to return prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay back to Afghanistan.



“I don’t see how these particular Taliban officials could ever have been tried in the southern district of New York,” John Bellinger, who served as an adviser to President George W. Bush explained during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday. “They’re certainly some Al Qaeda detainees who committed actual terrorist acts against Americans who perhaps could have been tried in a federal court because they committed federal crimes, but these particular Taliban detainees I think could never have been tried in federal court.” Although some of the released prisoners posed a danger to the United States when they were captured in 2002, especially toward soldiers serving in Afghanistan, several of the detainees did not commit crimes against Americans.


*snip*


Asked about reports that Bergdahl deserted his unit, Bellinger added that the former hostage “will have to face justice, military justice.” “We don’t leave soldiers on the battlefield under any circumstance unless they have actually joined the enemy army,” he said. “He was a young 20-year-old. Young 20-year-olds make stupid decisions. I don’t think we’ll say if you make a stupid decision we’ll leave you in the hands of the Taliban.”


Though Cheney told Fox News on Monday that he would not have agreed to the deal, Bellinger stressed that the Bush administration “returned something like 500 detainees from Guantanamo.” Statistics from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence show that only 6 percent (5 in total) of Guantanamo detainees released during the Obama administration have potentially engaged in militant activities. That compares with a rate of nearly 30 percent under the Bush administration.

Think Progress? Really?

They link to his words from his appearance on FOXNEWS, dumbass!

EDIT: here it is again:

http://crooksandliars.com/2014/06/ex-bush-administration-official-george

It has the FOX video.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing



A former Bush administration official broke with Republicans on Tuesday to defend President Obama’s prisoner exchange, arguing that since “the war in Afghanistan is winding down,” the United States would be required to return prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay back to Afghanistan.



“I don’t see how these particular Taliban officials could ever have been tried in the southern district of New York,” John Bellinger, who served as an adviser to President George W. Bush explained during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday. “They’re certainly some Al Qaeda detainees who committed actual terrorist acts against Americans who perhaps could have been tried in a federal court because they committed federal crimes, but these particular Taliban detainees I think could never have been tried in federal court.” Although some of the released prisoners posed a danger to the United States when they were captured in 2002, especially toward soldiers serving in Afghanistan, several of the detainees did not commit crimes against Americans.


*snip*


Asked about reports that Bergdahl deserted his unit, Bellinger added that the former hostage “will have to face justice, military justice.” “We don’t leave soldiers on the battlefield under any circumstance unless they have actually joined the enemy army,” he said. “He was a young 20-year-old. Young 20-year-olds make stupid decisions. I don’t think we’ll say if you make a stupid decision we’ll leave you in the hands of the Taliban.”


Though Cheney told Fox News on Monday that he would not have agreed to the deal, Bellinger stressed that the Bush administration “returned something like 500 detainees from Guantanamo.” Statistics from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence show that only 6 percent (5 in total) of Guantanamo detainees released during the Obama administration have potentially engaged in militant activities. That compares with a rate of nearly 30 percent under the Bush administration.

That proves that it is stupid, right?

Nice to see you admit it.

 

[Misty]

Liberals gave the Obama administration a pass when Americans were brutally slaughtered in bengazi and now he trades 5 terrorists for one man and you give him a pass again. Why? Cuz he is a democrat and you are democrats.

Is it just all about the fight between right and left for you?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

And yes...I'll mock anyone that cites Think Progress. It's an admission that you troll for information in places that are ridiculously biased.

Please post proof that the article is incorrect.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Even though I didn't always agree with Dubya, he was a fairly good President, far superior to the scumbucket we have now! Bush's biggest fault was that he was too easy on the opposition.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Luddly, you're going to have a hard time selling the narrative that THIS American was worth giving up 5 top level Taliban terrorists to get back. It's got nothing to do with the mythical "Obama derangement syndrome" and everything to do with this simply being a stupid thing to do. It's the reason that Hilary Clinton was against it as was Diane Feinstein. I suppose now you'll make the case that THEY suffered from ODS as well?

Where did I say that? Where did I say any of that?

I didn't.

Read hazlnut's comment right under yours.

 

[Oldstyle]

When Think Progress becomes even a SLIGHTLY unbiased news source I'll critique their articles. As long as it remains the totally slanted source that it is I'll continue to mock anyone that uses them as source material. I don't use Breitbart as a source. Why? Because they are so biased. Yet you idiots continually cite Think Progress which is fully as biased in the opposite direction.

 

[Oldstyle]

Luddly, you're going to have a hard time selling the narrative that THIS American was worth giving up 5 top level Taliban terrorists to get back. It's got nothing to do with the mythical "Obama derangement syndrome" and everything to do with this simply being a stupid thing to do. It's the reason that Hilary Clinton was against it as was Diane Feinstein. I suppose now you'll make the case that THEY suffered from ODS as well?

Where did I say that? Where did I say any of that?

I didn't.

Read hazlnut's comment right under yours.

"If President Obama had not gotten him out, the RWs here would be screeching about how the president believes the Taliban are more valuable than a US citizen and that he should be impeached for deserting one of our own."

 

[Quantum Windbag]

And yes...I'll mock anyone that cites Think Progress. It's an admission that you troll for information in places that are ridiculously biased.

Please post proof that the article is incorrect.

I don't have to, the fact that you idiots are resorting to using Bush the massive idiot to defend Obama doing something stupid is all the proof I need that Obama was wrong. So, please, prove the article is 100% right, it makes my day.

 

[depotoo]

http://vorige.nrc.nl/international/...inger_Obamas_terror_policy_identical_to_Bushs

Let's look at Bellinger's own beliefs and words-
"You already favoured closing Gitmo while in the Bush administration. Do you expect the Obama administration to succeed in their plan to close it?“
"By about 2003, certainly 2004, I concluded that it should be closed. And in the following four years I tried to accomplish that at the state department. We got to the point that the president stated the intention. Of course no one believed him, but we were quietly doing the work necessary to get it done. We got 500 people transferred out but no European country wanted to work with us.”“I hope Obama succeeds. But it will be difficult. It is nearly impossible to get it closed in an election year, which means it won’t happen in 2010 or 2012. They have a narrow window in 2011. It will require the administration to convince the Democratic majority – if there still is one – to support them. So I don’t think it will happen this year, and it may not happen in the next three years.”“There is certainly a bit of chortling among some former colleagues in the Bush administration: you guys thought this was easy, huh? But I personally take no pleasure in it. I would like to see Gitmo closed. I would like to see trials for the 9/11 planners in federal court. The approach of the Obama administration is pragmatic and middle of the road and I have no problem supporting it.”

 

[depotoo]

Sounds like a direct contradiction to his prior beliefs.

 

[NLT]

No one is upset that we got Bergdahl out. They are upset that Obama released 5 really high level, nasty terrorists to do it. It's a precedent that sets a price on other soldiers heads. The Taliban now knows how to force Obama to get their players back. Even after 6 years of OTJ training, Obama isn't ready for primetime.

No one of worth is concerned by your absolute ignorance on the subject.

Run along to the play ground.

What an arrogant little pissant you are, I bet you got your prissy little ass whipped all the time on the school yard. Prolly had to play with the girls so you didn't get beat up.

 

[kwc57]

If President Obama had not gotten him out, the RWs here would be screeching about how the president believes the Taliban are more valuable than a US citizen and that he should be impeached for deserting one of our own.

With the anti-American right, its just SSDD - just more lies about the president.

As usual Puddly Pillowbite, you have it ass backwards. The America loving and troop loving right want our POW out of their hands. We just don't want to sell America down the river by trading 5 of the worst of the worst of our enemies to do it. There are other ways to accomplish the same goal. President Oblivious is in the same head up his ass club as you and is too out of his league and out of touch to know.