Tuesday, June 3, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
The Bergdahl Backlash
If President Obama was hoping for a bounce from Saturday’s surprise Rose Garden announcement about the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, he didn’t get it. Instead, he is facing a growing backlash — from the troops, from members of Congress and even from the media.
Once again, the Obama White House sent Susan Rice to the Sunday talk shows to mislead the American people. On ABC’s “This Week,” Rice said, “Sergeant Bergdahl wasn’t simply a hostage, he was an American prisoner of war, captured on the battlefield.” Rice added, “He served the United States with honor and distinction.”
Once again, Rice’s statements do not square with the facts.
According to CBS News, the Pentagon never listed Bergdahl as a POW, but instead considered him “missing in action.”
As for Rice’s contention that Bergdahl was captured on the battlefield, the New York Times reports that he, “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.”
The Associated Press reports: “A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that the evidence was ‘incontrovertible’ that [Bergdahl] walked away from his unit.”
So, who wrote Rice’s talking points this time?
Moreover, the Washington Times reports that military officials had intelligence regarding Bergdahl’s location, even “down to how many guys were guarding him.” But, as one former intelligence officer said, “Military commanders were loath to risk their people to save this guy,” whom they considered to be a deserter.
And that is perhaps the best case scenario. During a radio interview this morning, former Congressman Allen West questioned the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl’s captivity. West cited a litany of situations in which captured American soldiers were tortured to death, shot or beheaded. Yet Bergdahl was held for years. What explains that?
Unfortunately, in 2010 members of the Taliban claimed Bergdahl had converted to Islam and joined their jihad. Maybe it was just clever propaganda. But Fox News reporter James Rosen adds that a senior Defense official confirmed that Bergdahl’s conduct “has been thoroughly investigated by the U.S. intelligence community and is the subject of ‘a major classified file.'”
Soldiers Speak Out
Soldiers from Bergdahl’s platoon are speaking out too. They are furious that he is being portrayed as a victim or a hero, and they are outraged that the administration traded five Taliban leaders for a possible Taliban sympathizer.
Sgt. Josh Korder served with Bergdahl and knew some of the men who were killed trying to rescue him. Korder has the names of three of them tattooed on his back. This morning on the “Today” show, Korder said, “You’re just going to let these guys go for somebody who … you know walked away? That’s just not right.”
One former member of Bergdahl’s platoon told the Daily Mail, “Bergdahl deserted his men and should face the firing squad. People died trying to save him.”
And the parents of those soldiers who died trying to find Bergdahl are demanding answers too. They are heartbroken to be learning that their sons may have died for a deserter.
Lt. Darryn Andrews was one of the soldiers killed looking for Bergdahl. His mother, Sondra, told the Army Times, “It gets really hurtful when I think, this guy was worth my son’s life? …This guy was worth that? I don’t think so.”
Meanwhile, the administration appears completely clueless when it comes to the basic instincts of our men and women in uniform. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was in Afghanistan Sunday and tried to rally the troops by celebrating Bergdahl’s release.
“This is a happy day. We got one of our own back,” Hagel said to the soldiers assembled in the hanger at Bagram Air Force Base. A former spokesman for General David Petreaus described the response as “crickets, crickets.” And he warned, “They’re really underestimating the fury over this. It’s a tidal wave of anger.”
Responding to that tidal wave of anger today, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pledged, “Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred.”
Obama Broke The Law; Apologizes (Sort Of)
At a press conference in Poland today, President Obama was asked about the Bergdahl controversy and whether or not he followed the law. Obama declared, “We have consulted with Congress for quite some time about the possibility that we might need to execute a prisoner exchange in order to recover Sergeant Bergdahl.” Not exactly.
The law requires Obama to give Congress 30-days notice of any plans to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Two liberal legal experts — CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin and Professor Jonathan Turley — say Obama broke the law.
Harry Reid said he was told of the transfer “the day before or the day of. I don’t remember for sure.” Speaker Boehner’s office said he was told of the deal “30 minutes before the news broke publicly.” That’s not exactly 30-days notice.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wasn’t told at all. Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken called her Monday night to apologize for the “oversight.” She reiterated that the last time a prisoner release was discussed with congressional leaders in 2011, they were “virtually unanimous against the trade.” Feinstein added, “I certainly want to know more about whether this man was a deserter.”
House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon vowed to hold hearings on this latest violation of the law. “I don’t know who they were talking to. I have not been a part of this and I’m the chairman of the committee,” Rep. McKeon said. “Now we’re 72 hours after the fact, and they still haven’t told us how they’re going to ensure that these five, top-level Taliban terrorists are not coming back into the fight.”
And what about those Taliban terrorists? Reuters notes that Qatar is allowing them to “move around freely within the country.”
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