A surprising Saturday deal ended nearly five years of detention for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only US prisoner of war in Afghanistan, in return for the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees to Qatar.
Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in 2009, and has been held since in various sites along the Afghan-Pakistan border. The deal under which he was released was proposed by the Taliban in 2013, involving the release of the five detainees.
The five detainees, interestingly enough, were going to be released unilaterally by the administration in 2012 as a “confidence-building” measure for peace talks. The releases were delayed when the talks collapsed, but it was the Taliban who first suggested they’d reciprocate with Bergdahl’s release in the deal.
The Sunday talk show circuit made it clear that Bergdahl’s release also meant his transition from a mostly-forgotten POW, rarely mentioned by officials, into a political football.
The prisoner exchange was immediately condemned by several GOP hawks as “negotiating with terrorists,” and the hawks were unanimous today in condemning Bergdahl’s release as a “dangerous precedent.”
The administration seems just as willing to play politics with the issue, insisting that finally securing Bergdahl’s release, after nearly five years in captivity and a year after the Taliban initially offered this swap, as proof of their support for the troops.
In many ways, Sgt. Bergdahl’s release was less about his release than about replacing the ouster of VA Secretary Eric Shiniseki with a shiny new topic for the Sunday circuit. Judging from all the officials lining up to make hay of the issue today, it was “mission accomplished.”
Well, look, if you want for Guantanamo to be closed!, and you know that the prisoners are "terrorists" while you are negotiating with the fundamental supporter of terrorism in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria, then you are dealing with the Qatari "government" demands. More of these known by GOP or otherwise, terrorists freed into the hands of Qatari government or Sudanese or Saudis regimes more chances for Barack Hussein Obama to say, yahhhh finally we-I closed the Guantanamo when there are no "terrorists" held there.
Afghanistan was given to Osama Ben laden as his religious sanctuary against USSR ocuption forces by Bush regime, Saudi agent killed the Afghanistan nationalist Massoud Shah paving the way for Taliban religious dictatorial regime to take over and entire USG knows what and why and for whom they invaded Afghanistan, later Iraq and now Syria and Ukraine where they support the very same terrorists that they are "disgusted" with and where they support Neo fascism where they fought the system 60 years ago.
Good call Mr. Ditz. To the administration, Bergdahl and the detainees are just pawns to play with or sacrifice as the political game dictates.
The question is how he was treated, I suggest it cant be as bad as some of those that were taken by the US from the Battlefield and tortured by the US at Guantanamo bay!
I also find it reprehensible that stupid politicians are calling him a traitor, yet they don't even know what happened in relation to his capture!
BRING OUR HOSTAGES BACK HOME!
Clearly our president must do the right thing and return Sgt Bergdahl to the Taliban in exchange for 5 of the most dangerous Militants in the history of the planet Earth who wish to destroy our American Freedoms and knock down our prestigious tall buildings.
Obama is a brave president. Brave enough to admit he has done wrong. If the Taliban will not release the 5 taliban terrorists we must attack invade and destroy Qatar who brokered the deal as we have with other Arub nations that have threatened our Freedom. We must also use nuclear weapons against Russia and China to send a message to those residents and President Putin who used gas on his own people and refuses to agree with American intervention in the Ukraine. We should also attack Mexico and other nations who send their terrorists here to destroy our freedoms by taking our jobs in the fast food industry which is the pride of American exceptionalism. Shall I go on?Clearly our president must do the right thing and return Sgt Bergdahl to the Taliban in exchange for 5 of the most dangerous Militants in the history of the planet Earth who wish to destroy our American Freedoms and knock down our prestigious tall buildings.
Obama is a brave president. Brave enough to admit he has done wrong. If the Taliban will not release the 5 taliban terrorists we must attack invade and destroy Qatar who brokered the deal as we have with other Arub nations that have threatened our Freedom. We must also use nuclear weapons against Russia and China to send a message to those residents and President Putin who used gas on his own people and refuses to agree with American intervention in the Ukraine. We should also attack Mexico and other nations who send their terrorists here to destroy our freedoms by taking our jobs in the fast food industry which is the pride of American exceptionalism.
Additionally, the Sgt is clearly an Al Queda operative, have you ever watched "Homeland". He's been hypnotized to support workers in the fast food industry. The Taliban know if they bring down McDonalds and Burger Chef, America is finished. Have you ever watched Mad Men?
Shall I go on?
Excellent.