Let’s be clear on one thing: this is Chuck Todd, appearing on The Today Show, reporting this, so take it with a grain of salt. But, having seen the way Team Obama has acted over the past 5+ years, would anyone be surprised if this was dead on? via The Weekly Standard’s Mark Hemingway
Every [White House] aide I’ve talked to said they expected there to be controversy involving the decision to release five members of the Taliban from Gitmo, and the fact that this would then escalate that debate, which has been simmering for a good five years, which is what to do with those detainees, how do you release them, where do you release them. They did not expect this backlash on Bergdahl himself. I’ve had a few aides describe it to me as we didn’t know that they were going to swift boat Bergdahl. And that’s a reference to that political fight back in 2004 over John Kerry’s military service, so there’s some fighting words there.
Here’s something to note: while those aids are attempting to portray this as something negative, as Kerry supporters did in 2004, the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth were 100% correct about John Kerry. Regardless, this would show a profound lack of care about our military.
Colonel Ralph Peters writes at National Review
The president, too, appears stunned. He has so little understanding of (or interest in) the values and traditions of our troops that he and his advisers really believed that those in uniform would erupt into public joy at the news of Bergdahl’s release — as D.C. frat kids did when Osama bin Laden’s death was trumpeted.
Both President Obama and Ms. Rice seem to think that the crime of desertion in wartime is kind of like skipping class. They have no idea of how great a sin desertion in the face of the enemy is to those in our military. The only worse sin is to side actively with the enemy and kill your brothers in arms. This is not sleeping in on Monday morning and ducking Gender Studies 101.
This shows further in the lack of caring by Obama regarding the VA scandal. Obama immediately met with Bergdahl’s father. What about the parents of those who have died thanks to the VA problems? Has he even visited a VA facility since the scandal broke?
Teach the days of the GOP having a lock on the vet vote are over.
in 2008 Obama and Romney split the vet vote evenly, however the older vets went for Romney and the younger ones went for Obama. The younger vets were the ones who had deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Those vets know what a hot mess those wars were, apparently you do not
John Kerry volunteered to serve and joined the US Navy. He easily could have gotten a grad school deferment.
He was given a cush job on a cutting edge guided missile cruiser. He then asked repeatedly to be sent to Vietnam. He served in one of the most dangerous jobs that the US Navy had, on a Swift Boat. He commanded 2 different boats each with a crew of 5. Of the 10 men under his command 9 campaigned FOR him The 10th could not be found. The Green Beret lieutenant that he pulled from the water recommended him for the Silver Star he was awarded
Republican political operative Richard Grenell (former aide to John Bolten and Mitt Romney) is coordinating the media interviews for smearing Sgt. Bergdahl. So the Republicans are smearing a POW who was just released to get at Obama. These Republicans are such honorable men and women.
The alternative to the POW exchange was to leave Sgt. Bergdahl to the Taliban to do with as they pleased.
What miserable creatures the once proud conservatives have become.
Bergdahl!! Benghazi!!
Actually jeff, I heard the first about this jerk from CNN when it interviewed a liberal.
John- You somehow missed the rest of the story. I’m sure you just overlooked it. Kerry then went on to lie about many of his experiences in Vietnam. T. Boone Pickens offered one million dollars to anybody that could disprove the Swiftboating ads. He still has that million. Kerry said in 2004 he would release his military records to help clear the matter up. Kerry still has those records.
Jeff,
If this a-hole truly deserted, if he really caused the deaths of soldiers searching for his sorry ass, if he really did cooperate with the terrorists then it might have been a good idea to leave him with this scum.
But personally I’m sort of glad he is back. If UCMJ is truly blind(which it is not, see different spanks for different ranks)they will investigate and probably find him guilty of desertion. I look forward to the blanket parties he will endure while in Leavenworth. Each time an American dies whether in uniform or civilian at the hands of these clowns he was traded for, a severe beating will be in order.
My father ran prisoners from Treasure Island Naval Station to Portsmouth NH. The Marine guards were not very fond of deserters and I don’t think the guards at Leavenworth will be either.
Beaner,
I agree with you. He deserved to come home. If the military finds him guilty of desertion he deserves his punishment. But that’s for the military to judge, not the President and not Rush Limbaugh.
FOX brought on disgraced former military Oliver North to criticize Sgt. Bergdahl’s repatriation.
For those too young to remember, Mr. North sold thousands of missiles to Iran (IRAN!) in exchange for 7 hostages in Lebanon and funneled the proceeds from the sales to right-wing rebels in Nicaragua. This disgusting piece of human excrement was convicted on 3 felony counts but the ACLU got his convictions tossed on a technicality.
But I guess FOX figures who knows better about negotiating with terrorists than Oliver North who got caught doing it.