Because the GOP hates the President so much, they will seize on anything to try and sully his actions, even if they once agreed with him. And right now their heads are exploding because soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held by the Taliban for five years, was traded for some Gitmo prisoners. Even though the deal was in the works for years and many Senators, such as John McCain, knew about it, they are now expressing outrage that Obama dared to do something as Commander in Chief during time of war. How dare he? Uppity! No President has EVER done that before! Except George Washington. And Nixon. And Reagan. Oops . . .
And to make things worse, soldiers who served with Bergdahl have come out accusing him of cowardice and desertion, as if that changes the fact that he was held as a prisoner of war until his health began to fail. The soldiers in his unit, who obviously did not like him anyway, are saying they resent that lives were lost while searching for him in the desert, and accused him of doing horrible things such as sympathizing with the plight of the Afghanis. Not very patriotic since if they had been captured first Bergdahl would have had to risk his life searching for them, since that's what soldiers do. But all of that has fed into the GOP frenzy to slam the prisoner swap as "President Trades Terrorists for a Deserter."
The GOP have even attacked Bowe Bergdahl's father for having a beard and saying "Allah" in front of the President. And Obama smiled at him, therefore MUSLIN!!! Beards and the entire Muslim religion are somehow anti-American now, except for Duck Dynasty, of course, who are true Patriots for hating The Gay. How about some respect for the family of a young man who served his country but may have been conflicted by war, like thousands of other young soldiers throughout history?
The whole mess is about Obama Derangement Syndrome and Self-Righteous Vigilante Justice. For the past few days the GOP has been going around like General Patton when he slapped a man for having post-traumatic stress disorder, and for which he was demoted during WWII. What he did to that poor man wasn't right, and Americans instinctively know this, unless you have the instincts of the GOP, which aren't very sharp. Therefore, Twitter is awash with calls for firing squads and executions from the same people who were whining about cow-abuse at Bundy Ranch a few weeks ago. It's astonishing.
BBC: Video of Bergdahl Release:
This is what happens at the end of wars. Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. We don’t condition that.
~ President Obama speaking in Warsaw on the prisoner trade and release of Bowe Bergdahl, via Time
Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family. Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later.
~ Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
JUST IN: Sr. Defense official: Sec. Hagel calls family of Bowe Bergdahl; tells them focus is on his health, reintegration - @AliABCNews
— ABC News (@ABC) June 4, 2014
Hagel: "Unfair" for anyone to make presumptions, before review, about #Bergdahl's departure from base. http://t.co/B1vYFwHQzb
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) June 4, 2014
"We really don't know why he left the base and under what circumstances," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said Monday. Details of that will come out, he said, adding that the Army has never classified Bergdahl as a deserter and has scheduled the soldier for a promotion next month. But the details around a soldier being taken captive "don't matter," he said, when it comes to the military's response.
~ CNN
He walked off. He left his guard post. Nobody knows if he defected or he's a traitor or he was kidnapped. What I do know is, he was there to protect us, and instead he decided to defer from America and go and do his own thing. I don't know why he decided to do that, but we spent so much of our resources, and some of those resources were soldiers' lives.
~ Former Pfc. Jose Baggett, 27, a member of Bergdahl's company
It’s true that Bergdahl was never officially categorized as a “prisoner of war,” since the Pentagon apparently stopped using that designation years ago. But he was defined as “missing/captured,” which is essentially the same thing. And while the Taliban fighters who were released were likewise not formally designated prisoners of war, either, because of the odd, formally undeclared status of the war with Afghanistan, that’s what they were.
. . . It’s shocking to see conservatives argue that the Taliban should have the final word on an American soldier’s fate, even if he’s accused of desertion.
~ Joan Walsh on Salon
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night
For the veterans of the units that lost these men, Bergdahl’s capture and the subsequent hunt for him will forever tie to their memories, and to a time in their lives that will define them as people. He has finally returned. Those men will never have the opportunity.
~ Soldier Nathan Bradley Bethea on Daily Beast
Bergdahl Responsible for How Many Deaths?
Is This Turning Into "Berghdazi"?
Follow @th3j35t3r for the latest info on #Bergdahl and his traitorous actions resulting in the deaths of 8 brave soldiers.
— libertybell121 (@libertybell121) June 4, 2014
No doubt, #Bergdahl must face a court-martial. He is responsible for the six American soldier deaths caused by his willful desertion.
— Josh Smith (@ThisIsJoshSmith) June 4, 2014
@MattMcNeilAM950 The first two deaths...they were inside the outpost...they weren't patrolling for Bergdahl. http://t.co/OrZ9PsWCch
— Todd Kolod (@ToddKolod) June 4, 2014
He's a goddamn traitor, his papa loves terrorists, he is partially to blame for at least 9 US soldiers deaths. Not a goddamn hero. #Bergdahl
— Advance Guy Notes (@AdvanceGuyNotes) June 2, 2014
Media report as fact that 6-8 died rescuing Bergdahl. That's all deaths in the province during peak in combat. http://t.co/8f6RLcMHuJ
— Joshua Holland (@JoshuaHol) June 4, 2014
ICYMI, retired senior military officer: "ludicrous" to blame Bergdahl's disappearance on deaths of 6 US soldiers; http://t.co/Ew2YJzmpU2
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) June 4, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's Attack Bergdahl's Family
First words of Bergdahl’s father at White House were Arabic "bism allah alrahman alraheem” http://t.co/Rfw5kuG66t pic.twitter.com/LYebxATitC
— Nat Shupe (@NatShupe) June 3, 2014
Bergdahl’s Father Declares Muslim Victory — Obama Smiles as He Hears War Cry of Allah | Vision to America http://t.co/LMUcLGYCjn via @po_st
— Timothy K. Smith (@Scotswrath) June 4, 2014
Idaho should be ashamed of the entire Bergdahl bunch. Robert Bergdahl praises allah. Bowe is a traitor. They have nothing to celebrate.
— Tommy Moore (@mooretommyh) June 4, 2014
Bergdahlallah should be put on trial by a jury of his piers, and executed if found guilty. #Deserter
— Brian (@Holyfield67) June 4, 2014
#CNN<< Mr Bob #Bergdahl....Maybe...shave the beard...& then do another press conference....Just a suggestion...cleancut always wears better
— Eric Bradshaw (@BradshawReport) June 4, 2014
GOP worried about Bowe Bergdahl's dad's beard.. heehee pic.twitter.com/rYWMMF5ZB5
— Rico Aliers (@ricoinohio) June 4, 2014
@SnarkAmendment Apparently, all the bad guys have long beards. pic.twitter.com/kgyKxFOozZ
— Kelly J Cowan (@ushadrons) June 4, 2014
Disgusted by all the comments in conservative media about Bob Bergdahl's beard. I hope this is how Bowe responds: https://t.co/RuaWlxACQl
— Andrew Exum (@abumuqawama) June 4, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The GOP Deranged Clown Circus
How many soldiers lost their lives to capture those five Taliban terrorists that we just released? Ambassador [Susan] Rice basically said to you, yes, U.S. policy has changed. Now we make deals with terrorists. And the question going forward is, have we just put a price on other U.S. soldiers? What does this tell terrorists, that if you capture a U.S. soldier, you can trade that soldier for five terrorists we’ve gone after?
~ Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas
I don’t think he [Obama] should have made that deal. He may well pay a price.
. . . I know everyone’s happy to see him back and all that. The fact is, Susan Rice said on TV yesterday he was taken on the battlefield and that he served the United States with honor and distinction. There’s a lot of reporting that he wasn’t taken in battle, he seems to have deserted or at least gone AWOL, he may have cooperated with the enemy after they captured him, soldiers died trying to find him.
~ Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard on Morning Joe, via Politico
They should send #BoweBergdahl to #GuantanamoBay for medical care.. They've got room now @RFrangie
— LadyVeteran23 ♥ (@LadyVeteran23) June 2, 2014
Bergdahl is now Exhibit A in the right-wing media bubble http://t.co/K5H1Ufuqnh
— Daily Kos (@dailykos) June 4, 2014
Bergdahl's Idaho hometown is being inundated w/ RW hatred; local Chamber of Commerce prez is "shocked" by behavior; http://t.co/JUecLk9IN8
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) June 4, 2014
JUST IN: 'Bowe is Back' celebration in the hometown of Bowe Bergdahl canceled "in the interest of public safety," city manager says.
— ABC News (@ABC) June 4, 2014
lmaooooo pic.twitter.com/5zYnOjqSAB
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) June 4, 2014
it disgusts me Bergdahl was a conflicted man who didn't gleefully kill Afghani children. i'm a republican and never served a day in my life.
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) June 3, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Grand Hypocrites of All Time
No, Mr. President, a soldier expressing horrid anti-American beliefs – even boldly putting them in writing and unabashedly firing off his messages while in uniform, just three days before he left his unit on foot – is not "honorable service." Unless that is your standard.
. . . You blew it again, Barack Obama, by negotiating away any leverage against the bad guys as these bad guys – Osama Bin Laden's partners in evil crime – joyfully celebrate their "win" in the deal you sealed.
~ Sarah Palin, ex-politician, on Facebook
Palin was praying for Bergdahl's release until... pic.twitter.com/eALNpHioZE
— A. Deno Vir MD PhD (@Adenovir) June 4, 2014
Wingnuts’ war on the troops: The ugly lesson of Bowe Berdahl and Sarah Palin http://t.co/HA9g1Cqm1e via @Salon
— Andrew S. Ginsburg (@GinsburgJobs) June 3, 2014
@JonathanJewel @ScottPelley My column: LET’S SWAP JOHN MCCAIN AND SARAH PALIN FOR SOME HUMMUS: http://t.co/ttKaHxbsru #Bergdahl #Taliban
— Mike Caccioppoli (@CaccioppoliMike) June 3, 2014
I am eager to learn what precise steps are being taken to ensure that these vicious and violent Taliban extremists never return to the fight against the United States and our partners or engage in any activities that can threaten the prospects for peace and security in Afghanistan.
~ Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, who is also an Ex-Prisoner-of-War exchanged in a deal under President Nixon
GOP Urged White House To 'Do All It Can' To Rescue POW Bowe Bergdahl http://t.co/WSECUy5g7e
— word34 (@word_34) June 4, 2014
When McCain was exchanged for N.Vietnamese POWs in 1973 by Nixon, many called McCain a traitor too. pic.twitter.com/ZLnIqlQ4BY @BojuanaJohnny
— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) June 4, 2014
McCain, Feinstein and everyone else in Congress knew full well about the 5 for 1 Bergdahl exchange plan months ago http://t.co/ZJY8OQU2dU
— Herbert (@HHooversGhost) June 4, 2014
What @SenJohnMcCain?: On Feb 18, McCain said he'd "seriously consider" exchange of Taliban detainees for Bergdahl: http://t.co/JU4ssWhSbz”
— Steve Marmel (@Marmel) June 4, 2014
The Grumpy Outrage Party is at it again. Led by the so-called war hero John McCain. More of a disgrace than Ollie North.
— Robert E. Hayes (@RobertEHayes) June 2, 2014
I strongly believe that we should have been consulted, that the law should have been followed. And I very much regret that that was not the case.
~ Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-California
Democrat @SenFeinstein says flatly WH violated the law by not notifying Congress especially given "bipartisan" concerns about detainees..
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 3, 2014
.@SaxbyChambliss says WH called to apologize for not notifying him as top R on Senate Intell. but "can't undo what president has done"
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 3, 2014
.@SenFeinstein & @SaxbyChambliss do not accept that Bergdahl's health was "In instant danger" "there was time to pick up the phone & call"
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 3, 2014
@KellyO @NowWithAlex @SenFeinstein Actually, were notified twice, in 2011 and 2012, that this might take place. WaPo also knew
— Jackie Gasdick (@loupou21) June 3, 2014
The #Bergdahl prisoner trade was old news. This is the Washington Post from 2/17/14. #PhonyScandal #BergdahlScandal pic.twitter.com/ssmlRfgSQJ
— Mick (@MickeyBPowerPop) June 4, 2014
What happened when godly Reagan negotiated w/ terrorists? Impeached? No? Then STFU. #Bergdahl pic.twitter.com/wIz9aUN60u
— Lynne © ✌ (@LV4RedSox) June 4, 2014
Same Right Wingers Who Call Bowe Bergdahl a Traitor Called Oliver North a Hero and Ronald Reagan The Best President Ever. ! #UniteBlue #tcot
— ElmObamaCarez (@lordxmen2k) June 3, 2014
You really can't make this stuff up.In 2011 Oliver North wanted us to wear #Bergdahl bracelets http://t.co/ns2EEjC9ZS pic.twitter.com/G5GLzUGZtT
— meta (@metaquest) June 4, 2014
Oliver North of all people blasts Obama for financing terrorist orgs in Bergdahl swap: http://t.co/YioAMtMl5a pic.twitter.com/n37NuZbi1C
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) June 4, 2014
Redefining hypocrisy: Ollie North accuses Obama Of 'Financing A Terrorist Organization' With Bergdahl Release http://t.co/681jhOTOfl
— Con von Hoffman (@CurseYouKhan) June 4, 2014
Ollie North lecturing anybody about back door deals with terrorists is basically an overweight hippo smashing through the looking glass
— john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) June 4, 2014
In #GOP 's defense, it was wrong and maybe even illegal for PBO to trade arms for the release of Hostages. Oh wait, that was Ronald Reagan
— Steve (@koolking83) June 4, 2014
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