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Where the fuck does a party, who nominated and supported AWOL Bush, get off on attacking Bergdahl? (Original Post) Drunken Irishman Jun 2014 OP
+ Infinity with a cherry on top. Uncle Joe Jun 2014 #1
The Democrats did not make it an issue yeoman6987 Jun 2014 #2
the same place the Party that elected the guy who traded missles for hostages gets off NightWatcher Jun 2014 #3
They'll start valuing intellectual and ethical consistency when somebody forces them. phantom power Jun 2014 #4
This is the thread-ender. ^^^^ Fantastic Anarchist Jun 2014 #11
Like the CorporateMediaWhore$$$$$$$$$? Cha Jun 2014 #18
They would throw their own mothers under the bus if they thought it help the politically. nt JeffHead Jun 2014 #5
ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. They voted for an AWOLer...twice. Baitball Blogger Jun 2014 #6
These sorts of arguments do nothing for me. onenote Jun 2014 #7
the thing I have with chimpy heaven05 Jun 2014 #12
They operate from a position of AgingAmerican Jun 2014 #8
Where? Probably in the bedroom with a laptop streaming Benghazi hearings video. And tissue. nt Bernardo de La Paz Jun 2014 #9
I'm calling B.S! No one died over Bush going AWOL. 951-Riverside Jun 2014 #10
I second that emotion!!!!! heaven05 Jun 2014 #13
Bush magically jumped ahead of many others waiting to get into the Guard. tabasco Jun 2014 #22
Had the Army kept up their minimum standards rickyhall Jun 2014 #14
IOIYAAR. n/t GoCubsGo Jun 2014 #15
Great minds think alike, GCG. Jack Rabbit Jun 2014 #16
They are shameless tooeyeten Jun 2014 #17
"Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing" Cha Jun 2014 #19
my motto for rethuglicans hopemountain Jun 2014 #20
I think the kid had mental problems hollowdweller Jun 2014 #21
oh heck no! i was a kid once hopemountain Jun 2014 #23
They'll attack Obama no matter what he does smallcat88 Jun 2014 #24
 

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)
2. The Democrats did not make it an issue
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 07:42 PM
Jun 2014

One broadcaster brought it up and got fired. I am not sure they ever found out concretely that he was AWOL. Even if he wash''t, the Democrats should have fought that. From 2001 to 2008, it seemed the Democrats were afraid of Bush and Chaney for some reason.

NightWatcher

(39,343 posts)
3. the same place the Party that elected the guy who traded missles for hostages gets off
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 07:44 PM
Jun 2014

The same place the last president who released more than 500 detainees from Gitmo, (90% of whom returned to the battlefield) gets off.

onenote

(42,374 posts)
7. These sorts of arguments do nothing for me.
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:26 PM
Jun 2014

The President did the right thing to get Bergdahl back because that is what we do -- we get our people back, whether their service was good, bad or indifferent. What happens after we get them back in terms of responding to their performance in the service is a separate issue. The President acted without complying with the letter of the law of a statutory requirement that he had previously made clear he viewed as unconstitutional and not binding on him. No problem with that either. He made the trade for five Taliban that have been held in captivity for between 12 and 13 years and cannot conceivably be of intelligence value about the ongoings in Afghanistan after being isolated from the area for that period of time. Are they a risk? Given that they are being transferred to Qatar, a country with an interest in staying on our good side, that we are leaving Afghanistan in a relatively short period period, and that the risk of transferring these people has been vetted for a couple of years by military, foreign policy and intelligence officials, I'm have no reason to believe the risk is unacceptable.

Those are the arguments. No apologies for getting the guy back. No apologies for investigating the circumstances of his leaving his post and no apologies for taking whatever measures are warranted by the findings of that investigation. And no apologies for making the calculated decision to trade him for the five Taliban.

But talking about Chimpy's failure to show up for a period of his national guard reserve service? While nothing to be proud of and not something you want in a Chief Executive/Commander in Chief, most people would not regard it as remotely comparable to laying down your arms and leaving your post in a foreign theater of war.

 

heaven05

(18,124 posts)
12. the thing I have with chimpy
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:53 PM
Jun 2014

Last edited Tue Jun 3, 2014, 09:28 PM - Edit history (1)

is that he did his damn best to stay out of the jungles, while I had to go. It does compare. Chimpy was a coward with an ability to use his privilege and family clout to be consistently awol with no reprimands in his cleaned up records, coked up while serving in the military, unable to pass flight physicals and barely able to fly. That's comparable to this latest soldiers alleged desertion. The guy who was the worst POTUS in modern history was a total fuck up. The jury is still out on this latest soldier.

 

951-Riverside

(7,234 posts)
10. I'm calling B.S! No one died over Bush going AWOL.
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:53 PM
Jun 2014

...Although during his Presidency nearly 3,000 died on 9/11 due to his inaction on intelligence and hundreds more died and continue to die due to inhaling ground zero dust that his administration declared safe. God only knows how many soldiers have died in Iraq, almost a million Iraqis have died in his war over lies.

F*CK BUSH!!!

[IMG][/IMG]

 

heaven05

(18,124 posts)
13. I second that emotion!!!!!
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:57 PM
Jun 2014

that little girl is wise beyond her years. I see total mistrust in her expression and you know what? She was right to have it.

 

tabasco

(22,974 posts)
22. Bush magically jumped ahead of many others waiting to get into the Guard.
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 10:30 PM
Jun 2014

Somebody might have died in Nam for that motherfucker's cowardice.

rickyhall

(4,889 posts)
14. Had the Army kept up their minimum standards
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:57 PM
Jun 2014

He most likely would not have been there at all. Seems to me if the French Foreign Legion (Rolling Stone) turned him then probably the Army should have done the same. If I remember right the FFL used to take men the Army wouldn't.

hopemountain

(3,919 posts)
20. my motto for rethuglicans
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 09:43 PM
Jun 2014

fucked if you do! fucked if you don't! so fuck 'em!
i think our president is waking up to accepting this truth about the deranged gop. there is no rationalizing with the irrational.

 

hollowdweller

(4,229 posts)
21. I think the kid had mental problems
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 10:27 PM
Jun 2014

I mean who the hell leaves a military base when the entire country side is filled with people who want to shoot you?

So do you blame the kid if he's mentally ill?

hopemountain

(3,919 posts)
23. oh heck no! i was a kid once
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 10:38 PM
Jun 2014

and when first encountering huge lies and death in war, people can have a change of heart and experience trauma.

smallcat88

(426 posts)
24. They'll attack Obama no matter what he does
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 10:49 PM
Jun 2014

That's the only real motivation they've got these days.

All the outrage over 5 guys getting released - as opposed to the thousands of militants already over in the middle east? Yeah, big drop in the bucket there. But pretty much everything the Republicans do and say is motivated by hate and fear. That's all they've got, all they know.

Don't know the story yet on Bergdahl, but from what I've heard so far he sounds like a sensitive, and now very disillusioned, kid. Unfortunately, that makes him an easy target. He needs time to heal - and the rest of us need to knock the Republicans upside the head for not giving it to him.

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