[tomder55]

The emperor exchanged a queen ,2 rooks, and two bishops for a pawn. Won't win too many games that way.

One question we have is: How many Americans lost their lives in the pursuit and capture of these jihadists? How many Afghan and American deaths were they responsible for? How many more will die as the result of their release and their likely return to the battlefield?

Obama Swaps Taliban Terrorists For Possible Deserter Bowe Bergdahl - Investors.com

and make it even better ; soldiers that have served with Bergdahl state this guy was no hero and was a deserter. It is further said that up to five soldiers died looking for him after he deserted.

Remember ,this was the "good war " to candidate Obama ,the one worthy of winning . The one he ordered the temporary date sensitive surge for .


Well at least this wag the dog got the VA scandal off the headlines.

[cdad]

Im still waiting for the rest of the story but right now it doesnt look good. I dont beleive that a 5 for 1 exchange is any good at any time. Now lets see just how this plays out.

[talaniman]

Here's more to the story, senate republicans have been calling for his return for quite a while.

http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=1244

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl; America's Only Known POW In Afghanistan | For God's Glory Alone Ministries

For a nation that is normally so reverent toward servicemen, the U.S. has been shockingly willing to forget about Bergdahl's plight, and seems loathe to make a public attempt to negotiate for him, even when the other side is making it clear they want to negotiate. The unspoken scandal behind all of this is that the U.S. had offered to unilaterally release the five detainees from Guantanamo Bay in March of 2012 simply as a “confidence builder” for prospective peace talks. Before that release could be finalized, a U.S. soldier killed 16 civilians in Kandahar and the 2012 talks, along with any “confidence builders” were scrapped.

GOP Urged White House To 'Do All It Can' To Get Bowe Bergdahl

In April, Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), introduced a resolution "to express the sense of the Senate that no member of the armed forces who is missing in action or captured should be left behind.".............He also said that members of the Intelligence Committee, on which he serves, were constantly updated on Bergdahl's whereabouts."There wasn't a week that went by that we didn't get a briefing," he added.
John Bellinger, who served as a national security adviser to President George W. Bush, said in a Fox News interview Tuesday that he believed Obama did the right thing in its recovery of Bergdahl. He noted that because the war in Afghanistan is winding down -- U.S. troops will be out by the end of 2016 -- the administration would have had to release the five detainees soon anyway.

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/...bergdahl-swap/

[paraclete]

You exchange a soldier who has been held by the Taliban for five Taliban who have been out of the action for ten years and whinge about it. You cannnot hold people indefinately just because they are political prisoners. This way you might get some recent intelligence and if he was a deserter prosecute him

[tomder55]

For a nation that is normally so reverent toward servicemen, the U.S. has been shockingly willing to forget about Bergdahl’s plight, and seems loathe to make a public attempt to negotiate for him, even when the other side is making it clear they want to negotiate.

5 field generals for a ( AWOL an probably a deserter )Sergeant is what you call a successful negotiation ?

The unspoken scandal behind all of this is that the U.S. had offered to unilaterally release the five detainees from Guantanamo Bay in March of 2012 simply as a “confidence builder” for prospective peace talks.

I guess the Snoopy dance by the Adm over the weekend is because they got any exchange for the worse of the worse Taliban prisoners at Gitmo.
The Taliban has always made it a precondition for "peace talks "that these 5 high valued detainees (2 of them wanted by UN for mass murder war crimes ) be released. Think the emperor will now get his peace talks ? Good luck with that . All the Taliban has to do is run out the clock before the emperor has us leaving with our tails between our legs.

[talaniman]

That's not what republicans were saying earlier this year, NOBODY was.

[paraclete]

. All the Taliban has to do is run out the clock before the emperor has us leaving with our tails between our legs.

don't worry Tom you have a long history of leaving with your tail between you legs, when was it you had a military victory, Oh I remember, WWII and you had allied help then. Get used to it, you cannot fight an entire population, the days of projecting power and ideology have gone

[tomder55]

That's not what republicans were saying earlier this year, NOBODY was.

I don't care what Republicans say . That is your final defense. Surprised you didn't blame Bush yet.

[tomder55]

don't worry Tom you have a long history of leaving with your tail between you legs, when was it you had a military victory, Oh I remember, WWII and you had allied help then. Get used to it, you cannot fight an entire population, the days of projecting power and ideology have gone

We had plenty of ally "help" in the AfPakia war.

[paraclete]

Yes and some of your allies were successful in achieving their objectives, but you and I both know that in that style of war the best you can hope for is a negotiated peace, but there was no AfPakia war, Pakistan was your ally in a fight against an insurgency after you destabilised Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan.

You just don't seem to understand that you are not welcome and when you leave the region will "normalise", The pakistani's will deal with their own problems in their own way and so will the aghani. These people have lost a generation in this fight and they have much to gain by settling down

[tomder55]

By settling down you mean the Taliban insurgency ;with their senior commanders back in play ;will take down the elected government and install their brutal brand of radical Sharia law.

[talaniman]

That was going to happen Tom, with or without those old leaders, and with or without American boots on the ground. Our war is over, theirs may be just beginning, as in the rest of the middle east. Rent the Afghans some drones (or guns whatever) and keep our kids home.

Yes I do have nieces and nephews involved, and would rather they be here, than there. How about you?

[paraclete]

Tom we are a long way on from when those guys ran things, don't you think those in charge today might have some views, it was suggested one even cooperated, and let's face it they are survelliance targets and may even lead to Omar. Let the Afghans settle it from here, they are in a much better situation than they were in 2001 when the taliban was kicking their backside. I think it is time you got some perspective, no foriegn power has won a war in Afghanistan for a long, long, time. You only fight the battles you can win, you know art of war and all that. You have taken down Al Qaeda in Afghanistan they were your enemy, and you unseated the Taliban. Quit while you are ahead and prepare yourself to take on other enemies. Beating a ragtag force of Afghans is only ego anyway, your pride is hurt, lot of it going around

[tomder55]

declare victory and walk away ? Ah if only it was that simple. It takes at least 2 sides to decide if a war is over . Take Syria for example. Jihadists are pouring into the country to get training and fight . Then they go back home and continue jihad there . You think this "war " is localized to Afghanistan . I see it as global with Afghanistan being just one place to be contested.

But the emperor admitted that the jihadists released will go back to terrorism ;and even though some of them are wanted by the so called "international community " he pretends to support ,he released them anyway.

This was a bad idea. You know it and I know it . Yet ,not only does he do it anyway ;but he prances around ,spiking the football as if he's achieved something great .

[tomder55]

That was going to happen Tom, with or without those old leaders, and with or without American boots on the ground. Our war is over, theirs may be just beginning, as in the rest of the middle east. Rent the Afghans some drones (or guns whatever) and keep our kids home.

Yes I do have nieces and nephews involved, and would rather they be here, than there. How about you?

Yeah and South Korea would fall to the NORKS with or without a US presence ;right ? Maybe we should've walked away from Japan and Germany after WWII also and left the whole continent to the Soviets ;after all it was a matter of self determination. It's because we shed blood and treasure there that we shouldn't just walk away and let jihadistan win there . It is because we lost blood and treasure on 9-11-01 when bin Laden used Afghansitan as a base of operations with the Taliban approval that we should guarantee they NEVER rule the country again.

[tomder55]

btw ;here is a NY Slimes account confirming that Berghdal is a deserter .

Sometime after midnight on June 30, 2009, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life. He slipped off the remote military outpost in Paktika Province on the border with Pakistan and took with him a soft backpack, water, knives, a notebook and writing materials, but left behind his body armor and weapons — startling, given the hostile environment around his outpost.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/us...-his-unit.html

[smoothy]

Not even most of the liberals are giving the deserter scumbag a free pass on what he did. I seriously hope he is charged, tried and convicted of desertion on the combat field... and gets the firing squad. Problem is...if its done in the next year and a half....Obama will give him a pardon...exactly what he effectively has done to the five terrorists he released against the law.

[tomder55]

That's not what republicans were saying earlier this year, NOBODY was.

Here is what the top ranking Dem on the House Intelligence committee said about the exchange.

Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, calls this a “dangerous precedent that puts all Americans at risk throughout the world.”
Ruppersberger Calls Taliban Prisoner Exchange 'A Dangerous Precedent' « CBS Baltimore

[talaniman]

Here is what the top ranking Dem on the House Intelligence committee said about the exchange.

Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, calls this a “dangerous precedent that puts all Americans at risk throughout the world.”
Ruppersberger Calls Taliban Prisoner Exchange 'A Dangerous Precedent' « CBS Baltimore

I don't care what Republicans say

I know you don't suddenly care what democrats say either... don't blame ya!!

You know as well as I do, the whole hollering match can changed in the next 6 months like it has in the last 6 months.

[paraclete]

I don't see why you don't see this as part of Obama fulfilling his promises, he can't shut Gitmo while there are prisoners there and he can't hold people indefinately without trial. These guys were out of play for a long time and the Taliban was still kicking butt, what difference do five more make?

There has to be a way to normalise the position in Aghanistan and that won't happen whileever there are prisoners like these. What do you think Obama should have done with them, handed them over to the Afghans to be executed?