Bowe Bergdahl release: US parties clash on Afghan deal

[webfact]

Bowe Bergdahl release: US parties clash on Afghan deal
Beth McLeod reports on Afghan government anger over the release

WASHINGTON: -- The main US political parties have clashed over the deal to swap five Guantanamo Bay detainees for a Taliban-held soldier, with Republicans warning it could put American lives at risk.

Senator John McCain said the detainees, who were transferred to Qatar, were some of the "highest high-risk people".

Afghanistan also attacked the deal, saying handing prisoners to a third country was against international law.

Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US forces in Afghanistan on Saturday.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27658821


-- BBC 2014-06-02

[hard124get]

John McCain aka the canary, because he sang so much and so sweetly to his captors.

[Ulysses G.]

I supported this at first, but the more that I read about it, the more skeptical I become. For me, it hinges on whether Bowe Bergdahl was a Taliban sympathizer before he was imprisoned, or not.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

John McCain aka the canary, because he sang so much and so sweetly to his captors.

He was tortured mercilessly. He also turned down the chance to return home to America without his men. Not many people would do that. He was a hero.

[Just1Voice]

John McCain aka the canary, because he sang so much and so sweetly to his captors.

He was tortured mercilessly. He also turned down the chance to return home to America without his men. Not many people would do that. He was a hero.

You need to read more, and stay away from the "political fiction" section.

[Ulysses G.]

I obviously read a lot more than you do. That McCain was tortured is a well know fact.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/archive/news/mccains-account-of-viet-cong-torture/story-e6frf7lx-1111115686152

Edited June 2, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[stander]

This was nothing but a calculated move by Obama to cover his butt on the VA mess. Bergdahl is a deserter and should be on trial. #BergdahlTraitor

[wandasloan]

You need to read more, and stay away from the "political fiction" section.

Pot. Kettle.

You have made two posts to now, neither of which provided even a tiny whiff of backing to your absurd, lying claim. And of course no future post you make will contain any, either, since no such information exists.

That said, your post is a neat warning to everyone that there are some internet posts that aren't true. 555. You've just seen two of them.

.

[pmarlin]

Bowe Bergdahl was drunk on duty went AWOL from his post and went outside of the compound and got captured. Those who are now serving or retired from the US Army know this. He is no hero and should face charges and be locked up. This isn't about some old US Senator.

Edited June 2, 2014 by pmarlin

[ClutchClark]

Bowe Bergdahl was drunk on duty went AWOL from his post and went outside of the compound and got captured. Those who are now serving or retired from the US Army know this. He is no hero and should face charges and be locked up. This isn't about some old US Senator.

Whatever happened to that American Value of Presumption of Innocence?

"presumption of innocence n. a fundamental protection for a person accused of a crime, which requires the prosecution to prove its case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. This is opposite from the criminal law in many countries, where the accused is considered guilty until he/she proves his/her innocence or the government completely fails to prove its case. " the free legal dictionary.

In the case of Sgt. bergdahl, there is not even any accusation of a crime by the military authorities.

But don't let that get in your way.

[Emster23]

So do Repubs want Obama to call off the deal, send him back to Taliban? Maybe embed Sean Hannity with him to set example of tough guy? I look at it this way: this is part one, releasing the big bad guys. Would not be sporting to hit with drone strike while at Gitmo in a cage. Get them back on the street where can wipe out with impunity. If bad boys stay in Qatar, maybe they can help with World Cup planning. See who visits them, and boom more targets. If they leave, then it is open season. Being away from Gitmo doesn't mean they are set free, just set up.

[quicky]

I supported this at first, but the more that I read about it, the more skeptical I become. For me, it hinges on whether Bowe Bergdahl was a Taliban sympathizer before he was imprisoned, or not.

Not sure how anyone could support this, all this will do is put bigger targets on soldiers from every country. The facts are Bergdahl is a deserter, and possible sympathizer, Obama released high value terrorists with at least 3 of them with blood on their hands, it was obviously another Obama sympathizing tactic for his Muslim terrorist brothers. If any negotiations were done they should have been done for the Marine in Mexico.

Hopefully this most recent scandal rids the world of Obama and his traitorous ways and epic failures.

[Chicog]

They have a God named Aton of Light and their ancestors came from "starships".

Maybe the should have named their God, A Ton of BS.

Thanks for the effort.

Yes indeed, sometimes Google is clearly not our friend.

But then again, I did say "Make of it what you will" for a reason.

[pmarlin]

Bowe Bergdahl was drunk on duty went AWOL from his post and went outside of the compound and got captured. Those who are now serving or retired from the US Army know this. He is no hero and should face charges and be locked up. This isn't about some old US Senator.

Whatever happened to that American Value of Presumption of Innocence?

"presumption of innocence n. a fundamental protection for a person accused of a crime, which requires the prosecution to prove its case against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. This is opposite from the criminal law in many countries, where the accused is considered guilty until he/she proves his/her innocence or the government completely fails to prove its case. " the free legal dictionary.

In the case of Sgt. bergdahl, there is not even any accusation of a crime by the military authorities.

But don't let that get in your way.

The 15-6 investigation has been done and this is the account form several eyewitness.

[wwest5829]

From the records of those traded, sounds like to me, some Shia folk might want to visit Qatar, and discuss matters with some of those released.

[harleyclarkey]

John McCain aka the canary, because he sang so much and so sweetly to his captors.

And what has this to do with the topic?

[stander]

Bergdahl is a deserter who was exchanged for five of the most ruthless men in the Taliban and this was done without congressional approval. He is no hero he is a traitor and a collaborator. His actions led to the deaths of Americans and he ceased to be an American when he joined forces with the Taliban.

[AloisAmrein]

The best is to ignore what the Afghani cons say. The fact is that they are unable to run the own country, corruption at highest level and an corrupt ignorant as president. The west should stop immediately all civil and military support to this country.

[Frank James]

I fear this young man is going to have very rough sledding when he returns to America. His case is already being used as a political football both in the US and in Afghanistan. The Repubs will whip up another hysteria over this as they have done repeatedly with Syrian policy and Benghazi-Benghazi-BENGHAZI!

[Scott]

Numerous posts and replies have been deleted. The topic is about Boe Bergdahl.

Please stay on-topic.

[Ulysses G.]

I fear this young man is going to have very rough sledding when he returns to America. His case is already being used as a political football both in the US and in Afghanistan. The Repubs will whip up another hysteria over this as they have done repeatedly with Syrian policy and Benghazi-Benghazi-BENGHAZI!

There was good reason to question the president's narrative on Syria and Benghazi. If, indeed, Bowe Bergdahl turns out to be a Taliban sympathizer and a deserter as some in the military are reported to be claiming, there would be no reason to accept the administration's spin on this either.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[kamahele]

This was nothing but a calculated move by Obama to cover his butt on the VA mess. Bergdahl is a deserter and should be on trial. #BergdahlTraitor

Bull crap! How on earth does getting a captured member of the US military freed after 5 years in Taliban captivity cover Obama's but concerning the VA scandal? It can't! This was about freeing an American from a terrorist organization and has been in the works for a long time. And what proof is there that this young man is a traitor? I've not heard one word that would even suggest such a thing. Shame on you.

[folium]

I supported this at first, but the more that I read about it, the more skeptical I become. For me, it hinges on whether Bowe Bergdahl was a Taliban sympathizer before he was imprisoned, or not.

Let's try and put a few things in perspective.

We are talking about a 23 year old home-schooled kid from a hick town in Idaho. He enlisted, probably with all sorts of dreams/preconceived ideas, as most recruits do.

Not sure where the line that he was drunk comes from, but if correct indicates a total failure by his unit's hierarchy. Drinking in an FOB is a total no-no.

Coming face to face with reality, in an actual war fighting scenario, affects people in all sorts of different ways. If you do not have experience of this, you have no idea what it can do to even the most apparently balanced people. Most people get on with the job, some just can't hack it. There have been plenty of occasions when those who fall into the latter category are recognized as such and are removed as quickly as possible before they cause issues for themselves and their unit.

This kid appears to have made a very foolish decision. For those reading this in the comfort of their padded computer chair who have never been near such a similar situation, just give a moment's thought that while it is very easy to condemn and express your opinion and while you may think that you know how you would react in similar circumstances, until you have actually been there you just don't know.

Maybe he did go AWOL, maybe he expressed some dumb ideas, but spending 5 years as a "guest" of the Haqqani network has probably been a more than a tough lesson in reality and growing up.

The truly sad thing is that Bowe has now become a political football to be dragged through the ordeal of trial by agenda-driven media. The good news is that an ISAF soldier has been brought home alive and hopefully well. 3435 ISAF families have been denied a similar conclusion.

Individuals make mistakes, we all do, but the real shame is that 3435 families have lost a loved one...for what?

Also in terms of the release of the 5 AQ members, that's the nature of the beast called realpolitik. If you want to at least try to resolve a conflict you end up both talking to and/or releasing people you previously regarded as beyond the pale terrorists, see Adams/McGuinness, Mandela, Begin/Shamir etc for classic examples.

If ISAF wants to leave any hope of a viable set-up in Afghan it means doing some form of deal with the Taliban. Ultimately almost all wars necessitate political solutions and compromises, and that means dealing with all the concerned parties, or you run the risk of just setting up the next conflict.

[pmarlin]

read it here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10868673/Bowe-Bergdahl-a-darker-story-behind-the-release-of-Americas-last-prisoner-of-war.html

[Ulysses G.]

Interesting article. It seems as if Bowe Bergdahl was a deserter at the least. If it is not true that he actually trained the Taliban - as they have claimed - he payed a big price for being an arrogant little pr*ck.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/americas-last-prisoner-of-war-20120607?print=true

[Ulysses G.]

The truly sad thing is that Bowe has now become a political football to be dragged through the ordeal of trial by agenda-driven media.

From what we are learning so far, I still feel that, if he was an unwilling captive, he has suffered enough and should not be prosecuted, However, I really have to wonder why the Obama administration would violate our rule against negotiating with terrorists and illegally trade 5 high-level terrorists for a deserter who left his post willingly.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[stander]

This was nothing but a calculated move by Obama to cover his butt on the VA mess. Bergdahl is a deserter and should be on trial. #BergdahlTraitor

Bull crap! How on earth does getting a captured member of the US military freed after 5 years in Taliban captivity cover Obama's but concerning the VA scandal? It can't! This was about freeing an American from a terrorist organization and has been in the works for a long time. And what proof is there that this young man is a traitor? I've not heard one word that would even suggest such a thing. Shame on you.

Try reading this series of tweets from someone who was there.

http://patdollard.com/2014/06/wanted-to-meet-with-the-taliban-platoonmate-who-discovered-bergdahl-missing-paints-portrait-of-long-premeditated-desertion-by-traitor-whose-actions-killed-u-s-troops/

[stander]

Bob Bergdahl now tweeting for more Guantanamo releases

http://twitchy.com/2014/06/01/bob-bergdahl-now-tweeting-for-more-guantanamo-releases/?utm_source=autotweet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter

[stander]

For five years, soldiers have been forced to stay silent about the disappearance and search for Bergdahl. Now we can talk about what really happened.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/02/we-lost-soldiers-in-the-hunt-for-bergdahl-a-guy-who-walked-off-in-the-dead-of-night.html

[ClutchClark]

Bob Bergdahl now tweeting for more Guantanamo releases

http://twitchy.com/2014/06/01/bob-bergdahl-now-tweeting-for-more-guantanamo-releases/?utm_source=autotweet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitter

Obama ran on a campaign promise of closing Gitmo. Obama was elected by a majority of voters. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest a majority of Americans wanted to see Gitmo closed.

Bob Bergdahl just had his only son held captive for 5 years without any form of trial. His son was not treated by the Geneva Conventions due all soldiers. Is it that surprising that he feels compassion for other families of Gitmo "detainees" treated in a similar fashion?

Politically speaking,, Obama "handlers" should have recognized the father holds radical views and made more of an effort to quiet this guy down so that it didn't backfire so quickly against Obama.