Report: Videos Showed Bergdahl's Rapidly Deteriorating Health
Source: TPM
CATHERINE THOMPSON JUNE 4, 2014, 9:03 AM EDT
Some critics of the prisoner swap that exchanged Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees said there was no evidence, as President Barack Obama insisted in a press conference Tuesday, that the soldier's deteriorating health necessitated swift action to secure his release.
But the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night that the U.S. intelligence community had evidence of Bergdahl's failing health, based on a secret analysis of two videos of the soldier in captivity that were provided to U.S. officials. One was shot in 2011 and the other in December 2013, the latter of which has never been publicly shown.
Officials who saw the recent video described Bergdahl's condition to the Journal as "alarming." The analysis of the videos showing the accelerating decline of Bergdahl's health partially convinced some holdouts within the Obama administration, like Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, as well as leaders in the Pentagon to back the proposed deal, according to the Journal.
One anonymous defense official summed up the calculus behind the exchange: Bergdahl's value as a prisoner was declining rapidly, along with his health, as U.S. troops were slated to pull out of Afghanistan.
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/secret-videos-bergdahl-deteriorating-health
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)If they don't, it will look horrible and this nonsense has gone on long enough. The con vermin are actually talking about impeachment and that fake discredited shrink on fox is saying the most egregious crap about how the President did the swap because he hates the US. It's time to slam these maggots down HARD.
lamp_shade
(14,816 posts)Then they'll strike.
earthside
(6,960 posts)If Bergdahl had died in captivity or been killed, then the Repuglican-Tea Party would get to scream their bloody heads off about how Obama abandoned a GI in the field.
So, when Pres. Obama did what McCain and Ayotte and were demanding, i.e., that the President do whatever was necessary to secure Bergdahl's release, well, then the Repuglican-Tea Party just moved on to Plan 'B' -- scream their bloody head off about something, anything else.
In my estimation, the rightwing faux outrage over Bergdahl is so over-the-top and obvious this time that the backlash might be finally, substantively damaging to them. (Of course, the Democrats need strong push-back for that to work.)
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)like Feinstein bitching about not being told (and frankly, I don't blame the President - I wouldn't trust congress to keep a secret) and parents of other soldiers in his unit screaming about how he got their sons killed, we can't afford to wait to fight back.
hamsterjill
(15,220 posts)To scream their heads off about anything???!!! Doesn't matter what - just anything adverse to Obama. (I know I'm preaching to the choir here, just had to say it!)
I sincerely hope you are right and that THIS particular tantrum truly is so over-the-top that it creates a backlash.
nolabear
(41,938 posts)To me, Bergdahl looked fragile, physically and mentally, but sine he was able to walk and had all his limbs I expect the howling will ramp up. That's all they do these days, ramp up.
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)(obviously the video showed a dramatic and alarming change from previous ones, sound like they thought he was dying. I don't know if it was a mental deterioration or physical, most likely both. The fact that he is able to walk does not mean good health or lack of injuries. Many people are able to walk into the ER and then drop dead.)
Evaluations of the two videos didn't allow officials to estimate with any precision how much longer Sgt. Bergdahl might have to live without adequate treatment. But in the analysis, intelligence agencies identified several possible ailments to explain the change in his condition. Officials with access to the analysis declined to provide details about what those ailments were and what treatment Sgt. Bergdahl is now receiving at a U.S. military hospital in Germany.
the intelligence community had "evidence that Sgt. Bergdahl's health was failing and that he was in desperate need of medical attention."
A senior U.S. official said the analysis made of the videos showing Sgt. Bergdahl's rapid deterioration also tipped the scales for many leaders in the Pentagon, convincing them to back an exchange for the Taliban detainees. "To see him like that, we knew we had to move quickly," the senior official said.
Sgt. Bergdahl's value as a prisoner was declining as his health deteriorated
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)and anonymous that is starting to piss me off. At this point, there is no reason not to tell us everything.
demigoddess
(6,640 posts)on camera yet. Usually, they would trot him out or send a reporter to his hospital room for a picture or two.
countryjake
(8,554 posts)The Washington Post published a couple of videos that the Taliban made showing the handover of Sgt. Bergdahl last Saturday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/04/exclusive-afghan-villagers-recall-when-bergdahl-stumbled-into-their-midst/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/06/04/an-annotated-video-breakdown-of-bowe-bergdahls-recovery-from-the-taliban/?tid=pm_world_pop