Was it really wise to exchange a deserter for five Gitmo terrorists?

[Derec]

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, if you recall, walked off from his unit and later got captured by the Taliban. It seems to me it is not very wise to exchange somebody like that for five terrorists who will probably resume their terrorist activities shortly. Doubly so if the exchange involves a likely violation of federal law which Obama signed only recently.

Why did he do this? What possible benefit does it bring him?

 

[Nice Squirrel]

#1) He was an American soldier and Audie Murphy was not available on account of being dead. Also, he was never charged with desertion so Obama wouldn't know that.

Otherwise, I'm not seeing the big deal. We did want to release those prisoners, didn't we? I mean all GITMO prisoners were very dangerous men correct? Or have we only been housing and torturing innocent men there?

 

[Rhea]

I haven't heard why he walked off base. PTSD? Treason? Confusion? Humanitarian?

 

[dismal]

#1) He was an American soldier and Audie Murphy was not available on account of being dead. Also, he was never charged with desertion so Obama wouldn't know that.

Otherwise, I'm not seeing the big deal. We did want to release those prisoners, didn't we? I mean all GITMO prisoners were very dangerous men correct? Or have we only been housing and torturing innocent men there?

I'm sure Obama knew the circumstances of his capture. It would be astonishing if he didn't.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

It does establish that one American is worth 5 of them, so our over-reaction to 9/11 shows we haven't overreacted enough yet.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, if you recall, walked off from his unit and later got captured by the Taliban. It seems to me it is not very wise to exchange somebody like that for five terrorists who will probably resume their terrorist activities shortly. Doubly so if the exchange involves a likely violation of federal law which Obama signed only recently.

Why did he do this? What possible benefit does it bring him?

Gets an American back (for potential court martial) and gets five prisoners out of Guantanamo, and closer to closing the prison. The problem W created with Gitmo is that he made it impossible to try these people, so it is either perpetual confinement or you release them, if you find a nation to take them. For the most part, most nations don't want the bad eggs because they don't want the bad eggs screwing around in their own country.

 

[Keith&Co.]

I was just reading 'Turned,' about spying during the Revolutionary War. A couple of times, they try to place an asset among the enemy. The guy has to appear to defect, sometimes with stolen documents to give him credibility. They can't tell the rest of the troops for fear of word getting to the enemy. So at least once the poor guy gets chased into enemy arms by comrades intent on catching and killing him.

I would wonder if this guy isn't necessarily a deserter and there's more to the story than anyone'll ever admit to.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I was just reading 'Turned,' about spying during the Revolutionary War. A couple of times, they try to place an asset among the enemy. The guy has to appear to defect, sometimes with stolen documents to give him credibility. They can't tell the rest of the troops for fear of word getting to the enemy. So at least once the poor guy gets chased into enemy arms by comrades intent on catching and killing him.

I would wonder if this guy isn't necessarily a deserter and there's more to the story than anyone'll ever admit to.

It wouldn't be my first guess. Of course, them keeping him alive that long would also not be my first guess.

 

[Horatio Parker]

There's a considerable difference between AWOL and desertion. No one knows why he walked off base or what his intentions were.

According to radio intercepts, he was captured in a latrine. And it's known from his emails that he harbored doubts about our presence in Afghanistan.

Please turn the patriotic hysteria down a notch.

 

[ksen]

Prisoner exchange has a long history in military conflicts.

 

[KeepTalking]

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, if you recall, walked off from his unit and later got captured by the Taliban. It seems to me it is not very wise to exchange somebody like that for five terrorists who will probably resume their terrorist activities shortly. Doubly so if the exchange involves a likely violation of federal law which Obama signed only recently.

Why did he do this? What possible benefit does it bring him?

What? Nothing about his father consecrating the White House with a Muslim prayer?! That's the big right-wing outrage meme on my Facebook wall currently. You are 2/3rds of the way there with the deserter and gitmo memes, might as well go all the way.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

I haven't heard why he walked off base. PTSD? Treason? Confusion? Humanitarian?

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/world/2014/06/02/bergdahl-afghanistan-taliban/9884769/

The Army is now investigating.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

#1) He was an American soldier and Audie Murphy was not available on account of being dead. Also, he was never charged with desertion so Obama wouldn't know that.

Otherwise, I'm not seeing the big deal. We did want to release those prisoners, didn't we? I mean all GITMO prisoners were very dangerous men correct? Or have we only been housing and torturing innocent men there?

I'm sure Obama knew the circumstances of his capture. It would be astonishing if he didn't.

You might just want to be astonished them. More importantly, are you saying we should abandon our POWs?

 

[Underseer]

#1) He was an American soldier and Audie Murphy was not available on account of being dead. Also, he was never charged with desertion so Obama wouldn't know that.

Otherwise, I'm not seeing the big deal. We did want to release those prisoners, didn't we? I mean all GITMO prisoners were very dangerous men correct? Or have we only been housing and torturing innocent men there?

A black Democrat is in the White House, therefore, this soldier is definitely, positively a deserter. We don't have to wait for the results of the investigation to make that determination. If FOX News and the rest of the Fair And Balanced(tm) media says he's a deserter, then it must be true and anyone who says "wait for the investigation" is an America-hating communist who wants the terrorists to win.

Heck, he probably wasn't just a deserter, most likely he is an actual traitor. After all, he is serving in the US military, and the US military answers to a communist dictator, therefore he is a bad person, therefore anything bad we accuse him of is automatically true. [/conservolibertarian]

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I haven't heard why he walked off base. PTSD? Treason? Confusion? Humanitarian?

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/world/2014/06/02/bergdahl-afghanistan-taliban/9884769/

The Army is now investigating.

That's crazy. He has been labeled a deserter and should be put in a secret prison camp and tortured for information and left there for a decade while the next President tries to figure out how to deal with him. Why do you hate America?

 

[JoyJuice]

Were they terrorists, or Taliban fighters? NPR outlines who they were, and what their roles were.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I think it's a good idea. You don't leave your soldiers behind and you've got to get those guys out of Gitmo somehow.

Now, if a few more US soldiers can manage to get themselves captured, you can clear out Gitmo and get that stain on your country's honour shut down quickly.

 

[Blahface]

Bowe going AWOL caused the deaths of six soldiers who were looking for him and the 5 prisoners exchanged do seem to be legitimate prisoners of war. It probably wasn't a good idea to do the exchange, but I don't think it is as big of a deal that the right are making it out to be.

 

[dismal]

#1) He was an American soldier and Audie Murphy was not available on account of being dead. Also, he was never charged with desertion so Obama wouldn't know that.

Otherwise, I'm not seeing the big deal. We did want to release those prisoners, didn't we? I mean all GITMO prisoners were very dangerous men correct? Or have we only been housing and torturing innocent men there?

I'm sure Obama knew the circumstances of his capture. It would be astonishing if he didn't.

You might just want to be astonished them. More importantly, are you saying we should abandon our POWs?

Wow, you have a very low opinion of Obama and his advisors if you think he didn't even know that the guy he was trading a bunch of senior taliban for was a probable deserter. That's quite a cock up you're accusing him of there.

 

[Arctish]

I think it's a good idea. You don't leave your soldiers behind and you've got to get those guys out of Gitmo somehow.

Now, if a few more US soldiers can manage to get themselves captured, you can clear out Gitmo and get that stain on your country's honour shut down quickly.

I agree.

The War in Afghanistan is over. We're leaving. It's time for everyone to collect their P.O.W.s and go home.