US soldier Bowe Bergdahl freed by Taliban in Afghanistan

[tifino]

whoops, I meant to type 'wikileaks'

[Credo]

The US is going to have to figure out some way of getting rid of the people at Gitmo. They may as well trade them for something with value now. A few years down the road and you'll be lucky to be able to trade them for a bag of rice and a bottle of vodka.

[simple1]

You actually make another sweeping statement that I doubt you can back up, e.g., ".. with all sides understanding the need to bring the Taliban into Afghani politics, .."

Depends on your definition of 'all sides', but two important parties, Karzi Government and the US government have both endeavoured a number of times to enter political negotiations with the Afghan Taliban. An example below.:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/06/u-s-to-begin-peace-negotiations-with-taliban/

The Afghan Taliban are not a listed terrorist organisation by the US.

[Ulysses G.]

The vast majority of the supposed hijackers involved in 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia so perhaps you could explain why the USA chose to invade Afghanistan and ignore Saudi Arabia ?

Because there were training camps for terrorists in Afghanistan and they were harboring the leaders of al Queda. America was going after the whole organization.

But as you say, simply bombing them would have led to less casualties for the US.

When did air power alone last win a campaign..?

When the whole point is too punish someone without any attempt at nation building. The British call it "Butcher and Bolt".

[pmarlin]

The U.S. media and public are mostly against the swap and it appears Obama saved a rat. Here or some sample headlines from todays' American newspapers.

Qatar allowing released Taliban men to move freely in country...

Reintegration: Military hides Bergdahl from public view...

FLASHBACK: 'Converted to Islam And Taught Captors Bomb Making Skills'...

NYT: Left note explaining desertion before going AWOL...

REPORT: Wanted to Renounce Citizenship...

Team Leader: 'A lot more to story than soldier walking away'...

Death sentence 'in the realm of possibilities'...

Pentagon knew whereabouts but didn't risk rescue...

14 SOLDIERS WERE LOST Searching for Bergdahl...

Never Officially Listed as POW...

White House apologizes for 'oversight' in notification failure...

FATHER: 'I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners'...

MAG: White House Overrode Internal Objections To Terrorist Release...

'Suck it up and salute'...

Rubio: Obama 'Believes He's Become Monarch Or Emperor'...

Anger explodes...

[Ulysses G.]

Well, at least no one will be under the delusion that this guy is some kind of hero, as the Obama administration initially tried to suggest by trotting out Susan Rice to tell her latest lie.

It is looking more and more like the administration will be forced into having him court-martialed, if he does not resign from the military.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceJutR3b1yA

[ray23]

Pentagon now saying he just walked away from his unit intentionally.

[chuckd]

i wonder what wiki has to say about bowe's real story?

The only known facts about Bowe Bergdahl is that he is a US soldier that was kept prisoner and treated harshly by the enemy for 5 years.

What you are referring to is speculation, innuendo, hearsay, and rumor.

Please note the distinction.

I wonder how this poster knows for a fact that Bergdahl was "treated harshly".

Every photo I have seen of him he is either eating or looking into the camera with a forlorn look on his face. Hardly gives the appearance of somebody receiving harsh treatment.

Don't expect an answer since this guy has me on "ignore".

[Ulysses G.]

i wonder what wiki has to say about bowe's real story?

The only known facts about Bowe Bergdahl is that he is a US soldier that was kept prisoner and treated harshly by the enemy for 5 years.

I wonder how this poster knows for a fact that Bergdahl was "treated harshly".

He doesn't. He is relying on speculation, innuendo, hearsay, and rumor.

[uptheos]

A still from the released video........looks like there's an opening for English teachers over there.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/taliban-releases-video-bowe-bergdahl-handed-over-us

[PiPiFFS]

It appears he has already walked away from his post before and left a note telling his unit what he was doing. The Taliban are also saying that he was a collaborator and assisted them along with converting to Islam and changing his name.

And is now looking to be charged with desertion. Not the outcome Obama had in mind I very much doubt

[Ulysses G.]

What law was that?

Ah, this one:

When he signed the law last year, Obama issued a signing statement contending that the notification requirement was an unconstitutional infringement on his powers as commander in chief and that he therefore could override it.[/size]

Obama is required by law to notify Congress 30 days before any terrorists are transferred from Gitmo. Obama campaigned against signing statements and promised that he would not use them if elected - just one more example of his dishonesty and hypocrisy.

[arjunadawn]

I had earlier posted a few comments on this thread both pleased that a solider was released and also asserting that more should have been done to find him, and the released prisoners hunted down and effectively killed. It is apparent in my post that some residual remained in my head about this issue. I referred to him as a "kidnapped" soldier, rather than a POW. I must have retained some vague memory in this aging head. A poster mentioned some contrary report that this soldier was not what he appeared. I stated then I wish to reconsider my remarks; I have.

I am disgusted. I find it treasonous that this current US administration, hell bent on destroying anything that remotely suggests an American (or Western) value, traded murderers for a traitor. Men died trying to find this clown who was known to have disappeared to support the enemy all along. Numerous Western soldiers, rightly or wrongly, lost their lives serving their nations in that hellhole and this single act undoes most of their sacrifice for their comrades (soldiers rarely die for nations- they die for each other!). Lastly, these released prisoners are not called murderers by me for simply opposing western intervention; these clowns murdered and destroyed at the genocidal level for years prior to the war. The additional crime here will not manifest for a few years- these men will depose any semblance of jirga representation in Afghanistan and return to murder! The unintended consequences (blowback) from this will be so shocking that history can only conclude it was intended.

[chuckd]

This out today from Time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Behind the Scenes of Bowe Bergdahl’s Release

Aryn Baker @arynebaker June 5, 2014

Asked whether the Taliban would be inspired by the exchange to kidnap others, a commander laughed. “Definitely."

In the days and hours leading up to the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl last week, his Taliban captors in Pakistan prepared for a big send-off. Those selected to physically hand Bergdahl over to U.S. officials at a pre-arranged location on the other side of the border in Afghanistan rehearsed the messages they wanted to convey to the American people. A videographer was assigned to cover the event, for propaganda purposes. And those closest to Bergdahl commissioned a local tailor to make him a set of the local tunic and trousers in white, which, given as a gift, denotes a gesture of respect.

Read more here: http://time.com/2826534/bowe-bergdahl-taliban-captors/

From the article:

"They (Taliban) see the exchange as an unmitigated victory. “Our talks finally proved successful for the prisoners’ swap,” says the commander. “We returned our valued guest to his people and in return, they freed our five heroes held in Guantánamo Bay since 2002.”

[tifino]

geeze the networks would love to make a series about US servicemen captured by the Insurgents, converts to Islam, rescued/returned back to the US.

How original - he becomes a mule for the (sic) taliban types, and Homeland Security has their hands full...

oh wait! that was already on the networks last year

[chuckd]

This is also out today. Yeah, I know it's Fox.

The reporter, James Rosen, was the reporter the Obama administration tried to link to criminal activities...without success.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EXCLUSIVE: Bergdahl declared jihad in captivity, secret documents show

By James RosenPublished June 06, 2014

FoxNews.com

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at one point during his captivity converted to Islam, fraternized openly with his captors and declared himself a "mujahid," or warrior for Islam, according to secret documents prepared on the basis of a purported eyewitness account and obtained by Fox News.

The reports indicate that Bergdahl's relations with his Haqqani captors morphed over time, from periods of hostility, where he was treated very much like a hostage, to periods where, as one source told Fox News, "he became much more of an accepted fellow" than is popularly understood. He even reportedly was allowed to carry a gun at times.

The documents show that Bergdahl at one point escaped his captors for five days and was kept, upon his re-capture, in a metal cage, like an animal. In addition, the reports detail discussions of prisoner swaps and other attempts at a negotiated resolution to the case that appear to have commenced as early as the fall of 2009.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/06/exclusive-bergdahl-declared-jihad-secret-documents-show/

[Chicog]

Stockholm Syndrome

[Ulysses G.]

I don't think that you get Stockholm Syndrome before you are captured. Bowe Bergdahl’s platoon intercepted Afghan radio communications, immediately following his disappearance, in which they heard Afghans talking about an American who had come to their village, asking around for someone who could speak English, saying that he wished to speak with the Taliban. It sounds like he might have already been sympathetic to them.

[PiPiFFS]

From an outsiders view, as in a Uk citizen whose soldiers were coerced into joining a failed war I find the exchange wrong and the way Obama is just simply shrugging off the outcry even to illegally not informing the House or Congress is unbelieveable. The man seems to be able to do as he pleases regardless of whether the US Constitution allows him to do so. It now seems like Presedential executive orders can simply be announced and thats it.

I may be well wrong on some of the above or even all of the above but that is how it comes across to me as a non American.

Will he be impeached as talk has it ?

It also couldn't have come at a worse time for Obama when the world is remembering a great American President !

[Johpa]

Will he be impeached as talk has it ?

It also couldn't have come at a worse time for Obama when the world is remembering a great American President !

I assume, since it is June 6th, D-Day, that you are referring to FDR, the president whose social and fiscal policies the US Republican party as well as the faux Democrats like Clinton have been zealously trying to erase since the clarion call by Lewis Powell in 1971 to turn back the clock and allow unbridled free market capitalism to be the over riding economic mantra of our times. They also trash talked your great economist Keynes. Golly, that didn't go over too well so yes indeed, we should remember FDR with D-Day being but one a minor footnote of his administration.

And alas, for you, failing to inform an indolent and untrustworthy Congress is not an impeachable offense.

[chuckd]

Will he be impeached as talk has it ?

It also couldn't have come at a worse time for Obama when the world is remembering a great American President !

I assume, since it is June 6th, D-Day, that you are referring to FDR, the president whose social and fiscal policies the US Republican party as well as the faux Democrats like Clinton have been zealously trying to erase since the clarion call by Lewis Powell in 1971 to turn back the clock and allow unbridled free market capitalism to be the over riding economic mantra of our times. They also trash talked your great economist Keynes. Golly, that didn't go over too well so yes indeed, we should remember FDR with D-Day being but one a minor footnote of his administration.

And alas, for you, failing to inform an indolent and untrustworthy Congress is not an impeachable offense.

And, alas for you, your last statement is untrue.

Articles of impeachment may be issued by the House of Representatives by a 2/3rd vote on the charge of High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

What are High Crimes and Misdemeanors? The following link will tell us.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The phrase high crimes and misdemeanors is found in the U.S. Constitution. It also appears in state laws and constitutions as a basis for disqualification from holding office. Originating in English Common Law, these words have acquired a broad meaning in U.S. law. They refer to criminal actions as well as any serious misuse or abuse of office, ranging from Tax Evasion to Obstruction of Justice. The ultimate authority for determining whether an offense constitutes a ground for impeachment rests with Congress.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/High+Crimes+and+Misdemeanors

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That last sentence says it all...

The ultimate authority for determining whether an offense constitutes a ground for impeachment rests with Congress.

In short, Congress is who decides what constitutes a High Crime and Misdemeanor. Not following an established law is good enough reason if Congress so decides.

[Bwanatickey]

I do hope this American Soldier writes a book about his experiences in Afghanistan.

I am always interested in the other sides story.

I have read many a book written by British soldiers and British Apache pilots stories about their combat experiences in Afghanistan.

It Will make an interesting change to read about this Americans soldiers account of the front line, and being the only POW his story is certainly unique.

[Johpa]

In short, Congress is who decides what constitutes a High Crime and Misdemeanor. Not following an established law is good enough reason if Congress so decides.

You are correct that Congress does have the right to act as judge and jury against a president and impeach for any spurious reason. Crikey, they tried to get Clinton impeached for being fellated by a female intern. We can agree to disagree on what constitutes a high crime or whether not informing Congress in this particular situation constitutes criminal misdemeanor.

I am proud of Obama and Rice, a rare stance on my part I might add, for standing up for their convictions and performing their job in a neutral manner and not convicting this man of anything until he gets his day in court. I would not want to be a soldier who would have to worry whether his government might equivocate on seeking his release from captivity based upon the hearsay and opinion of his fellow soldiers. Those of you who were ever in a grunt infantry unit comprised primarily of undereducated 19 year olds know what I am talking about. I am not implying that there is no evidence to suggest that he might have deserted, but there is also no evidence that Bergdahl was anything other than a US soldier being held hostage by the Taliban. That he was not your or not someone else's ideal image of a US soldier is irrelevant. Or from another perspective, as someone compared it on a recent newscast, if a troubled sailor attempts suicide by jumping off a ship the ship's captain does not simply look over the stern and say "screw you sailor" and sail away.

[Ulysses G.]

Or from another perspective, as someone compared it on a recent newscast, if a troubled sailor attempts suicide by jumping off a ship the ship's captain does not simply look over the stern and say "screw you sailor" and sail away.

They do if he announces that he is disgusted by the men on his own ship, wants to join the other side and starts swimming in the direction of the enemy ship.

[Pakboong]

If you look at this deal as a necessary step at ending the war, it is much easier to take. I am not a big Obama fan but it appears as if the administration saw it as a step in the right direction.

[ClutchClark]

Or from another perspective, as someone compared it on a recent newscast, if a troubled sailor attempts suicide by jumping off a ship the ship's captain does not simply look over the stern and say "screw you sailor" and sail away.

They do if he announces that he is disgusted by the men on his own ship, wants to join the other side and starts swimming in the direction of the enemy ship.

Funny you should use that analogy.

"Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said that there was a larger matter at play: The American military does not leave soldiers behind. When youre in the Navy, and you go overboard, it doesnt matter if you were pushed, fell or jumped, he said. Were going to turn the ship around and pick you up."

[Ulysses G.]

I notice that he did not saying anything about joining the enemy - which is what I said. The army repeatedly canceled rescue operations, because they did not want to waste good men getting back a deserter.

The Pentagon on several occasions had ground-level intelligence on where ArmySgt. Bowe Bergdahl was being held captive at various times — down to how many gunmen were guarding him — but special operations commanders repeatedly shelved rescue missions because they didn’t want to risk casualties for a man they believed to be a “deserter,” sources familiar with the mission plans said.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/2/pentagon-knew-berghdahls-whereabouts-but-didnt-ris/#ixzz33vjP6cYw

[chuckd]

I notice that he did not saying anything about joining the enemy - which is what I said.

If they are in convoy they will not stop the ship nor turn it around. They would notify trailing ships to look for the sailor and hope for the best.

[Scott]

Off-topic post deleted.

[Sheryl]

Several posts edited to remove baiting/personal remarks and one such removed.

Further attempts to turn this into a flamefest will not be tolerated.