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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 09:30 AM Jun 2014

Bowe Bergdahl Is the Right’s New Benghazi

Michael Tomasky

Buckle up: The right is going to try to turn the Taliban prisoner swap for ‘deserter’ Bowe Bergdahl into a Willie Horton moment for the president—and they’ll ride it to January 2017.


So let’s imagine that on Saturday night, the news had emerged not that Bowe Bergdahl was being freed but that he’d been murdered by his Taliban captors. What do you suppose we’d be hearing from Republican legislators? You know exactly what: Barack Obama is the weakest president ever, this is unconscionable. Which, of course, is exactly what we’re hearing from them now that the U.S. Army sergeant, held by the Taliban since 2009, has been freed. And it’s going to get worse. I’m even tempted to say forget Benghazi—Bergdahl may well end up being the flimsy excuse for the impeachment hearings they’ve been dreaming of before all this is over.

The Republicans’ audacity here is a bit beyond the usual. Let’s face it: There is no question that if President George W. Bush or a President McCain or President Romney had secured Bergdahl’s release in exchange for five Taliban prisoners at Gitmo, Republicans would be defending the move all the way. That business about notifying Congress? They’d have a dozen excuses for it. We got our prisoner of war home, they’d all be saying. That’s what matters.

But Obama does it, and Bergdahl’s freedom isn’t what matters at all. It’s that we negotiated with terrorists. Well, yes. We’ve been negotiating with the Taliban for a long time now, trying to end the war. See, they’re the people leading the fighting on the other side. When you’re trying to end a war, that’s generally who you negotiate with.

The five guys we returned to the Taliban are really bad guys, as Eli Lake and Josh Rogin wrote this weekend, and it’s fair to ask whether the price was too high. We can’t know the answer to that question today. But other criticisms are bogus. House intel chairman Mike Rogers said on TV Sunday that in cutting the deal, “you send a message to every al Qaeda group in the world that there is some value in a hostage that it didn’t have before.” That’s ridiculous. So al Qaeda groups didn’t know until this past weekend that taking an American hostage could give them leverage? Guerrilla forces have been taking people hostage since warfare began. We’ve even done lower-level prisoner trades in Afghanistan.

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/02/bowe-bergdahl-is-the-right-s-new-benghazi.html
18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Bowe Bergdahl Is the Right’s New Benghazi (Original Post) DonViejo Jun 2014 OP
First 2 letters of Benghazi? B-E; First 2 letters of Bergdahl? B-E Coincidence? NO WAY!!!! hatrack Jun 2014 #1
Finally! JustAnotherGen Jun 2014 #2
Yeah but, they are in the process of smearing Bergdahl... DonViejo Jun 2014 #6
I did see that JustAnotherGen Jun 2014 #10
Disturbing is the fact his own guys are calling him a deserter and that five of them died while monmouth3 Jun 2014 #3
I've only come across one account of him deserting... DonViejo Jun 2014 #8
Do you have an account where any of his platoon saw him leave? riderinthestorm Jun 2014 #13
I haven't read anything, just speculations but then I haven't searched it out...n/gt monmouth3 Jun 2014 #14
REagan traded missiles for hostages. MohRokTah Jun 2014 #4
The Taliban are not AQ. Republicans always confuse brown men as all the same, but an Fred Sanders Jun 2014 #5
Amen Fred Sanders JustAnotherGen Jun 2014 #11
So Bergdahl is a distraction from Benghazi after all Turbineguy Jun 2014 #7
Bergdahl will have to answer questions about what happened the night he left..or whatever it is that Jefferson23 Jun 2014 #9
It's like the show Homeland except the right is skipping the first season. Kablooie Jun 2014 #12
so, now they hate POWs bigtree Jun 2014 #15
ROFL: "See, they’re the people leading the fighting on the other side. ..." alcibiades_mystery Jun 2014 #16
Ahh Yep Peacetrain Jun 2014 #17
I'm still waiting for the left Obama haters to find a way to make common cause with the Teanuts alcibiades_mystery Jun 2014 #18

hatrack

(59,439 posts)
1. First 2 letters of Benghazi? B-E; First 2 letters of Bergdahl? B-E Coincidence? NO WAY!!!!
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 09:40 AM
Jun 2014

Like Donald Trump's Twitter, this is HUGE!!!

JustAnotherGen

(31,681 posts)
2. Finally!
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 09:48 AM
Jun 2014

They are going to shut the eff up about nothing-ghazi?

I'll take it DonViejo. Anything to get them off that nonsense I'll take!

JustAnotherGen

(31,681 posts)
10. I did see that
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 10:52 AM
Jun 2014

Not here - elsewhere.

But regardless of why he was in the place he was when he was 'taken' - he was still held as a POW.

He shouldn't have been there at all - we never should have been in either theater.

monmouth3

(3,871 posts)
3. Disturbing is the fact his own guys are calling him a deserter and that five of them died while
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 09:49 AM
Jun 2014

looking for him. Do we have other info on this?

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
8. I've only come across one account of him deserting...
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 10:03 AM
Jun 2014

and I saw an account of desertion that ran on FOX five years ago. Aside from the article below, do you know of any others? I'm hoping this guy didn't desert.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025037496

 

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)
13. Do you have an account where any of his platoon saw him leave?
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 11:21 AM
Jun 2014

I haven't read anything where anyone saw him leave.

It's all just speculation by his fellow soldiers that he deserted as far as I can tell.





Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
5. The Taliban are not AQ. Republicans always confuse brown men as all the same, but an
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 09:57 AM
Jun 2014

American politician screeching that the release of Taliban prisoners will encourage the AQ is both stupid and treasonous lie.

Turbineguy

(37,206 posts)
7. So Bergdahl is a distraction from Benghazi after all
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 10:02 AM
Jun 2014

It figures. After all, there's an "h" in his name. That proves it.

(and for the trolling morons: )

Jefferson23

(30,099 posts)
9. Bergdahl will have to answer questions about what happened the night he left..or whatever it is that
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 10:07 AM
Jun 2014

occurred. Once he speaks to these questions honestly, and speaks about his ordeal...( which Republicans
seem to not give a damn about ) the story will likely blow up in the Republicans faces.

Kablooie

(18,571 posts)
12. It's like the show Homeland except the right is skipping the first season.
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 11:18 AM
Jun 2014

They are going directly to the part where they think the freed serviceman is a traitor.

 

alcibiades_mystery

(36,437 posts)
16. ROFL: "See, they’re the people leading the fighting on the other side. ..."
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 12:03 PM
Jun 2014

"When you’re trying to end a war, that’s generally who you negotiate with."



 

alcibiades_mystery

(36,437 posts)
18. I'm still waiting for the left Obama haters to find a way to make common cause with the Teanuts
Mon Jun 2, 2014, 12:05 PM
Jun 2014

on this one.

You know it's coming.

Maybe it already has. I have so many of them on ignore that I probably missed it.

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