Obama aiding terrorists again-Bergdahl story

Bergdahl’s box of horrors Posted: 03 Jun 2014 04:45 AM PDT (Scott Johnson) In his CNN report of soldiers’ reaction to the prisoner exchange that resulted in the release of Bowe Bergdahl from his time with the Taliban, Jake Tapper included Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s nonanswer to the question whether Bergdahl had walked away: A reporter asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday whether Bergdahl had left his post without permission or deserted — and, if so, whether he would be punished. Hagel didn’t answer directly. “Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family,” he said. “Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later.” That nonanswer requires translation. I think we can take that gibberish as a definitive “yes.” Hagel must have a pretty good idea of the underlying facts. James Rosen reports for Fox News that Bergdahl and his disappearance are the subject of “a major classified file.” Rosen adds that “many within the intelligence community harbor serious outstanding concerns not only that Bergdahl may have been a deserter but that he may have been an active collaborator with the enemy.” Rosen’s source hadn’t seen the 2010 file. Citing unnamed American officials, Ken Dilanian and Deb Riechmann now report for the AP: “The Pentagon concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military curbed any high-risk rescue plans.” Our translation of Secretary Hagel’s nonanswer stands. The soldiers who have spoken up also assert that Bergdahl walked away. We have the testimony of the soldiers quoted by Tapper. We have the testimony of Nathan Bradley Bethea. We have the testimony of the soldiers quoted by David Martosko in his Daily Mail article. The New York Times fastens on Bergdahl’s 2009 walk-off in today’s story by Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper and Charlie Savage: “Bowe Bergdahl’s vanishing before capture angers his unit” (bonus video with White House photo op included). The deal that resulted in Bergdahl’s release opens a Pandora’s box of Obama administration horrors. In the spirit of inquiry, with no intent of providing a comprehensive list, I tentatively offer the following. Notwithstanding the substantial evidence to the contrary, we have the assertion by President Obama’s national security adviser that Bergdahl served with distinction and honor. We have the denial by administration officials that the Taliban is a a terrorist organization. We have lost soldiers as a result of Bergdahl’s conduct. We have the torment of the Bergdahl disgrace added to the grief of the families of those lost as a result of his conduct. We have the five Taliban leaders released in exchange for Bergdahl. They will return to the battlefield and return to their duties. We have the weird photo opportunity in the Rose Garden with President Obama celebrating Bergdahl’s return with Bergdahl’s parents. We have the Taliban celebrating what realistically appears to be a great victory, and we have the disgrace of their enemy thrown in for good measure.       Obama’s Illegal Prisoner Swap If there is one constant about U.S. policy in the Middle East, it is the law of nasty unintended consequences. That’s something the Obama administration disregarded when it recently chose to ignore the law that requires… I beg your pardon Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:17 PM PDT (Scott Johnson) The ceremony in the Rose Garden celebrating the return of Sergeant Beau Bergdahl must be the most misbegotten photo op of all time. In addition to President Obama, both Bergdgahl mère and père spoke. It seemed to me bizarre beyond belief, a photo op gone wrong. Was Mr. Bergdahl vetted? Did anyone in the White House notice that Mr. Bergdahl seems to have gone over to the other side? As Paul notes, the scene now has the Washington Post working overtime to cover for Obama. Obama’s handlers didn’t hold it against Mr. Bergdahl that he was “still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners,” in the words of his now deleted tweet. Okay, in that respect, he’s just like Obama. But did anyone around Obama think it problematic when the old man predicted God would “repay the death of every Afghan child, Ameen”? Actually, make that “Ameen!” That appears to be a prayer for the death of Sergeant Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers. Did Team Obama know that Mr. Bergdahl was going to invoke Allah, quoting from the Koran in Arabic (video below)? You have to wonder what exactly that was all about. The White House wasn’t highlighting the five Taliban leaders it was giving up for Sergeant Bergdahl, but did it raise a question in the mind of anyone around Obama that that Mr. Bergdahl seemed to be striving to resemble them?     I beg your pardon Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:17 PM PDT (Scott Johnson) The ceremony in the Rose Garden celebrating the return of Sergeant Beau Bergdahl must be the most misbegotten photo op of all time. In addition to President Obama, both Bergdgahl mère and père spoke. It seemed to me bizarre beyond belief, a photo op gone wrong. Was Mr. Bergdahl vetted? Did anyone in the White House notice that Mr. Bergdahl seems to have gone over to the other side? As Paul notes, the scene now has the Washington Post working overtime to cover for Obama. Obama’s handlers didn’t hold it against Mr. Bergdahl that he was “still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners,” in the words of his now deleted tweet. Okay, in that respect, he’s just like Obama. But did anyone around Obama think it problematic when the old man predicted God would “repay the death of every Afghan child, Ameen”? Actually, make that “Ameen!” That appears to be a prayer for the death of Sergeant Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers. Did Team Obama know that Mr. Bergdahl was going to invoke Allah, quoting from the Koran in Arabic (video below)? You have to wonder what exactly that was all about. The White House wasn’t highlighting the five Taliban leaders it was giving up for Sergeant Bergdahl, but did it raise a question in the mind of anyone around Obama that that Mr. Bergdahl seemed to be striving to resemble them?    Washington Post has Obama’s back on Robert Bergdahl Posted: 03 Jun 2014 01:14 PM PDT (Paul Mirengoff) Robert Bergdahl is a already a major embarrassment for President Obama. Not only did the senior Bergdahl, with his Taliban-style beard, break into Pashtun and Arabic during Obama’s would-be photo opportunity, he has made a string of anti-American, pro-Taliban statements (see below). The potential for further embarrassment seems great. Bergdahl either loves to explain himself, loves the sound of his own voice, or both. It’s not clear to me whether Obama cares about the fall-out at this point. However, his backers do. Consider this article about the senior Bergdahl by Todd Frankel in today’s Washington Post. It casts the Taliban sympathizer in the best possible light by (1) focusing on his beard and ignoring his substantive remarks and (2) characterizing the beard, and Bergdahl’s immersion in Islam, as an attempt to cope with his son’s capture. Bergdahl has spewed forth a stream of anti-American, pro-Taliban comments. Among them are: Working to free all Guantanmo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen! ‘Democracy’ is a cult in in the West. Release Moazzam [Begg] (note: Great Britain’s most notorious Taliban supporter). ISAF perceive foreign presence as the main impetus of war inside Afghanistan! My son speaks about unjust treatment of Afghan children. (Note: Bergdahl included a link to the Taliban’s website). We understand the rationale of the Islamic Emirate has made through videos [of Bowe Bergdahl]. (Note: Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan is the Taliban’s preferred name) Frankel mentions none of this in his article. But what of Frankel’s claim that Bergdahl grew his beard and studied Islam and the Taliban in an effort to cope with his son’s captivity? It’s quite possible that, as Frankel euphemistically says, the father “changed his appearance and altered his interests to align with his son’s experience.” But Frankel overlooks evidence that Bergdahl’s anti-Americanism predates Bowe’s capture and, indeed, may well have been partly responsible for his son’s plight. We know that in the period leading up to Bowe Bergdahl’s desertion of the Army he was sending anti-American emails to his father. Some of them signaled that he was preparing to desert. What was Robert Bergdahl’s response? “OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE.” If, instead, he had advised his son to do his duty as an American soldier, perhaps Bergdahl would not have deserted. Bowe Bergdahl, then in his early 20s, deserved adult counsel from his father. Instead, he got leftist cant — an updated version of “do your own thing.” If the father had talked the son out of deserting, American soldiers would not have died looking for Bowe Bergdahl, deadly Taliban commanders would still be sidelined, and Bowe would have avoided his five-year ordeal. In addition, Bob Bergdahl would not have grown his awful beard, and the Washington Post would have one less issue on which to run interference for President Obama.