Statement by the President on Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl

[clearvision]

Brandon Friedman @BFriedmanDC

 

Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership? (1/5)

 

10:44 PM - 4 Jun 2014

 

 

 

 

Let's see Obama use this talking point.

[Pepper]

@clearvision

 

http://twitchy.com/2014/06/05/obama-administration-official-brandon-friedman-floats-psychopaths-smear-of-bergdahls-platoon-mates/

 

AND

 

http://twitchy.com/2014/06/05/obama-admin-official-scrubs-twitter-bio-after-suggesting-bergdahls-platoon-was-full-of-psychopaths/

[Pepper]

Taliban Commander: More Kidnappings to Come After Bergdahl Deal


(Didn't see that coming...)^sarcasm

[Valin]

http://youtu.be/DJq0xC4c4lo

[Draggingtree]

President Admits He’ll Break the Law if Threatened

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | June 5th, 2014 at 01:40 PM

White House officials are admitting the President can be bullied and threatened into breaking American law.

Perhaps we should not elect men who wear mom jeans.

This is pretty staggering. The Taliban now say

http://www.redstate.com/2014/06/05/president-admits-hell-break-the-law-if-threatened/

[SrWoodchuck]

Brandon Friedman @BFriedmanDC

 

Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership? (1/5)

 

10:44 PM - 4 Jun 2014

 

 

 

 

@Valin

 

I believe that Michelle Malkin covered this back in 2009-2010, in interviews with his fellow soldiers. They stated that his commanding officer found several of the troopers, including Bergdahl, sleeping on post in their MRAP vehicles....and instituted extra duty & extra duty hours for weeks after the incident. Speculation was that Bergdahl was running from the punishment, as much as he was running to the Taliban. Other statements from soldiers & villagers near their OP....stated that he was "intoxicated" at the time of his desertion. Said "intoxication" caused by hashish.

[Valin]

The plot thickens: Classified military report says Bergdahl walked away twice before
Allahpundit
4:01 pm on June 5, 2014

 

Does this further incriminate him on the desertion charge or does it cut the other way? Could be that he went outside the wire the first time as a “dry run” for desertion, to see if he could make it that far without being caught. It could also be that the guy was simply a kook, a “free-spirited young man,” as the Times puts it, who was so eager to find a plum spot from which to watch the sun rise that he’d, er, wander off into the Afghanistan countryside. That’s not the same as my “mental break” theory, but it’s not far from it.

 

Deserter or doofus? They’re not mutually exclusive, you know.

 

(Snip)

 

There’s no better place for a “free spirit” to follow his bliss than Taliban country in the middle of a war. The report concludes that Bergdahl did indeed leave the base voluntarily; what it doesn’t say definitively is that he left with the intent to never return, notwithstanding the details about him shipping his belongings home and leaving his weapon and body armor behind. But if he didn’t leave to join the Taliban, what other reason might he have had? Jake Tapper dug around for possibilities and came up with this:

 

(Snip)

[SrWoodchuck]

[Valin]

The Bergdahl bounce
Scott Johnson
6/6/14

(Snip)

Today we received an e-mail from our “Threat Integration/Criminal Intelligence Branch” (e-mail subject line: “Kidnapping for Prisoner Exchange”) which states that the risk to U.S. Soldiers of kidnapping in the wake of SGT Bergdhal’s prisoner exchange has increased. The message is issued as a result of “new operational hazards that pose a threat to [] personnel” with the following internal subject line:

 

Subject: Terrorist groups call for kidnapping of westerners and in particular U.S. Military members, combined with the recent release of U.S. Army Sgt Bergdhal increase the threat of kidnappings of military personnel.

 

The letter mentions that Al-Qaeda leaders (Zawahiri) encourage the kidnapping of Americans for the purpose of prisoner exchange and mentions Gilat Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas and released in exchange for 1,000 prisoners, before specifically identifying the release of SGT Bergdhal in exchange for 5 Taliban prisoners as potentially signaling to terrorists that kidnapping a soldier may increase the opportunity for release of American held prisoners.

 

(Snip)

[Draggingtree]

Taliban Rising

June 6, 2014 by Arnold Ahlert

 

Arnold Ahlert is a former NY Post op-ed columnist currently contributing to JewishWorldReview.com, HumanEvents.com and CanadaFreePress.com. He may be reached at atahlert@comcast.net.

 

While Obama administration officials and their media allies are furiously attempting to spin the swap of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five high-level Taliban terrorists in their favor, the other side of the equation is weighing in as well. Taliban leaders are expressing jubilation over the trade, hailing it as a major recognition of their status and boon to their cause. The Taliban is seeking to solidify legitimacy as a political force in Afghanistan in the face of the imminent U.S. drawdown, after which less than 10,000 soldiers will remain in the country. With the Bergdahl exchange, the Taliban has achieved a major propaganda victory that will further aid its ascendancy in the country — on top of the benefit the return of several of its top operatives will offer as a consequence of the deal.

 

Details of the internal assessment of the Bergdahl swap come from a TIME magazine interview with two Taliban commanders.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/arnold-ahlert/taliban-rising/

[Draggingtree]

http://youtu.be/DJq0xC4c4lo

Think Progress: It’s the Army’s Fault We Traded Five Terrorists

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | June 6th, 2014 at 11:05 AM

The shark has officially been jumped by the left. Think Progress, the left wing site that has no intellectual honesty, actually has a post entitled “Did Sergeant Bergdahl Desert The Army Or Did The Army Desert Him?“

They allege that Bowe Bergdahl might have been mentally ill and the Army should have done a better job of dealing with him instead of letting him wander off base.

First, doesn’t that make Joe Scarborough’s comments about Bergdahl’s father exactly accurate?

http://www.redstate.com/2014/06/06/think-progress-its-the-armys-fault-we-traded-five-terrorists/

[Draggingtree]

Progressives Ignoring the Rule of Law

Obama Violated Federal Law in Deal He Cut with Bergdahl's Captors

Andrew Napolitano, Reason Magazine
On the same weekend that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs resigned amidst the scandal of veterans dying before the government's doctors could treat them in government hospitals, on the heels of another revelation of unconstitutional NSA spying in which federal agents have been seizing the digital images of our loved ones and friends that have accompanied our emails, and a week after the White House intentionally or negligently revealed the true identity of the CIA station chief in Afghanistan, President Obama announced a new foreign policy initiative called "No One Left Behind." The reference was to the sole service member then held in captivity in the venue of America's longest war, the one most Americans have forgotten: Afghanistan. Late last week, Obama announced the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by the Taliban for more than five years. Bergdahl apparently shed his weapons and equipment, sent his personal belongings home, and walked into the hands of his captors one day, unwilling to remain a part of his military unit and largely ignorant of the fate that faced him. The president must have been determined to bring Bergdahl home at all costs, because the manner of his doing so makes it likely that he violated federal criminal law in the deal he cut with Bergdahl's captors.
READ MORE
http://reason.com/archives/2014/06/05/obamas-bergdahl-deal-could-be-criminal

[Valin]

 

http://youtu.be/DJq0xC4c4lo

Think Progress: It’s the Army’s Fault We Traded Five Terrorists

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | June 6th, 2014 at 11:05 AM

The shark has officially been jumped by the left. Think Progress, the left wing site that has no intellectual honesty, actually has a post entitled “Did Sergeant Bergdahl Desert The Army Or Did The Army Desert Him?“

They allege that Bowe Bergdahl might have been mentally ill and the Army should have done a better job of dealing with him instead of letting him wander off base.

First, doesn’t that make Joe Scarborough’s comments about Bergdahl’s father exactly accurate?

http://www.redstate.com/2014/06/06/think-progress-its-the-armys-fault-we-traded-five-terrorists/

 

 

 

Yes because combat soldiers are precious little snowflakes, who wilt under the slightest pressure.

An argument could be made that he had no business being a grunt, that he should have been an REMF.....still that is no excuse for walking off post. That is a good way for people to die.

 

 

When I was in the AF there was something called 1199 human reliability program. Those that held certain jobs only had to tell someone they were stressed and you had to be pulled and were evaluated for 90 days. I assume the Army has something similar.

[Valin]

 

6-5-14 - (Fox News) - Six of the men Bowe Bergdahl served with sat down with Megyn Kelly on Thursday, and Kelly asked them how they feel about the White House saying the attacks on Bergdahl are just "swift boating" and are motivated by partisanship. All six of them insisted their criticisms are not based in partisan politics, but in fact. All of them agreed that "the truth needs to come out, he's not a hero," and that it was "hard to watch" him get such a glowing welcoming in the Rose Garden, given they believe Bergdahl abandoned them to seek out the Taliban and the attacks got worse when he left. And so they took offense at Susan Rice saying he served with honor and distinction.

[Valin]

Why Yes...It Is All About Me!

[Valin]

Two Stories

 

Taliban Commanders Say They Found Bergdahl Cursing His Countrymen

Mushtaq Yusufzai

6/6/14

 

The Taliban found Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl walking alone, acting abnormally and cursing his countrymen before they captured him in Afghanistan in 2009, two men who were Taliban commanders at the time told NBC News on Thursday.

 

They said that Afghan locals first informed fighters about the soldier, and then the fighters rushed to capture him.

Our people at the time couldnt understand his language, but it was after he was shifted to a safe location, he said he wasnt happy with his countrymen, but he didnt intend to convert to Islam or join mujahideen (holy warriors), one of the commanders said.

 

The commanders said that Taliban officers first thought it was a trick perhaps an American soldier sent out alone to spy on the enemy.

As we never saw their soldier patrolling alone we would ask him how he managed to walk out of his base, one of the commanders said. He would tell us that it was personal issue.

 

(Snip)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Bergdahl says he was tortured by Taliban captors

LOLITA C. BALDOR

Jun. 8, 2014

 

PARIS (AP) Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has told people treating him at a U.S. military medical facility in Germany that he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.

 

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss what Bergdahl has revealed about the conditions of his captivity.

 

The official said it was difficult to verify the accounts Bergdahl has given since his release a week ago.

 

(Snip)

[Draggingtree]

Think you know story of captive? Think again

 

6:24 p.m. MST June 7, 2014

 

Before everybody, with the information we have so far, passes judgment on Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, take a little trip down memory lane.

 

Remember Jessica Lynch, who was rescued from Iraq after her convoy was ambushed? Remember how she was shot and stabbed after running out of ammo in her brave fight against the enemy?

 

Except, other than her convoy being ambushed, the rest of this story was pure fiction. She actually sustained her injuries when her vehicle crashed.

 

Remember Pat Tillman, the courageous football player who became an Army Ranger? Remember how he bravely died in a firefight with insurgents?

 

Except he was shot by his own men in a friendly-fire incident.

 

My point is,

 

Hmmmmmmmmm just thought, well we will see

[Valin]

House Intel Chairman: Gitmo Release Was ‘Not the Only Option’ to Get Bergdahl Back
Patrick Brennan
June 8, 2014

 

 

[Valin]

 

Well I am glad That is cleared up!

[Valin]

Think you know story of captive? Think again

 

6:24 p.m. MST June 7, 2014

 

Before everybody, with the information we have so far, passes judgment on Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, take a little trip down memory lane.

 

Remember Jessica Lynch, who was rescued from Iraq after her convoy was ambushed? Remember how she was shot and stabbed after running out of ammo in her brave fight against the enemy?

 

Except, other than her convoy being ambushed, the rest of this story was pure fiction. She actually sustained her injuries when her vehicle crashed.

 

Remember Pat Tillman, the courageous football player who became an Army Ranger? Remember how he bravely died in a firefight with insurgents?

 

Except he was shot by his own men in a friendly-fire incident.

 

My point is,

 

Hmmmmmmmmm just thought, well we will see

 

 

David Gray 4 hours ago

Wow, this tard has just gone full tard.

 

Well Said David!

 

 

I really cannot stand Smirks Maddow. Crazy Ed Schulz in drag

 

 

[Draggingtree]

 

Well I am glad That is cleared up!

oh bull S**t

[Valin]

A pardon for Bowe Bergdahl?
Paul Mirengoff
June 8, 2014

 

When Bowe Bergdahl was first released, the administration’s line seemed to be that he had suffered enough as a Taliban prisoner, and thus that the U.S. would not likely punish him as a deserter even if that’s what he turned out to be. But as the deal came in for strong criticism and evidence mounted as to Bergdahl’s betrayal, the line changed.

 

We were assured by the military that Bergdahl’s conduct would be investigated and, if misconduct were found, he would be subject to the military justice system. In the meantime, we should withhold judgment.

 

But Bill Otis predicts that, regardless of the facts (which so far point unambiguously to the conclusion that Bergdahl deserted), Bergdahl will never face a military trial because President Obama will pardon him. Bill, who worked on presidential pardons in the last days of the Bush 41 administration, has even drafted a statement to accompany the pardon (see below). It’s written in perfect Obamaese, which should worry those of us who are close to Bill.

 

(Snip)

 

 

[SrWoodchuck]

Uncle Jimbo shows the elephant in the room......

 

 

Via BonedJello

[Valin]

This just gets better and better all the time!

Member of Taliban's elite Supreme Shura among 5 transferred to Qatar
Thomas Joscelyn
June 8, 2014

 

Two court decisions provide insights into the career of Khairullah Khairkhwa, who was recently transferred from Guantanamo to Qatar along with four other senior Taliban leaders in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

 

On May 27, 2011, District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina published his opinion rejecting Khairkhwa's petition for a writ of habeas corpus. And, on Dec. 14, 2012, the DC Circuit Court issued its ruling affirming Judge Urbina's opinion.

 

The courts concluded that Khairkhwa was a member of the Taliban's Supreme Shura council, an elite group of 10 leaders who reported directly to Mullah Omar. The Shura oversaw the Taliban's military and intelligence operations, as well as other activities.

(Snip)

[Draggingtree]

Stop the Feast, Bowe Bergdahl is No Prodigal Son

By: Aaron Gardner (Diary) | June 9th at 07:00 AM | 9

[T]he father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened ...

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