Bowe Bergdahl

[Gerald]

I hope that the outcome will be good, and that this was a strength showing up in the U.S.


Scores of Harley Davidson riders joined the Bring Bowe Back rally in the missing soldier's hometown in Idaho.

They were heard before they were seen. More than 100 Harley-Davidsons growled into the remote town of Hailey on a warm Saturday afternoon.

They had ridden from as far away as Utah, California and Nevada, cutting through the vast russet coloured mountains of Idaho to this small Sun Valley community.

The motorbikes arrived in a cloud of dust that dazzled with chrome. Leading the line was the father of Bowe Bergdahl, riding the motorcycle of his missing son.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23021734

Note: 23 June 2013 Last updated at 15:12 GMT

[Armistead]

Haven't seen a thread on it yet, but if one floating...delete.

IMO Obama has lost his mind his last term or more. Obama had to know this man was a deserter. He signed a bill to give congress notice and ignored it. We all know these 5 Taliban leaders will soon be back in the business of terror. For the life of me I can't believe all the Dem spin I've heard this morning.

My question is...do you think Bergdahl will face trial or will Obama find a way to cover it. It seems this would be a military issue, that they would be having hearings and making the decision?


http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/art...ro-traitor-yet

[Sailor Steve]

What we think is irrelevant. Either he is or he isn't, and anyone who thinks one way or the other will be proven wrong or right. Idle speculation is useless.

[Admiral Halsey]

If it was any of the previous administrations i'd say he wouldn't have even been exchanged.

[Jimbuna]

At this point in time I would have to agree with Tina Grimm below but only an investigation will ever bring the matter to a definitive end one way or the other.

My opinion of the debate about returning American soldier Bowe Bergdahl is that he had to come home, not only for his well-being and his family’s but for all of us moms who sent our whole worlds off to war.

Once Bergdahl is back and stable, I wholehearted agree that questions need to be asked and those who are in the position to find out what happened need to decide on potential consequences. In my eyes, he’s not a hero or a traitor at this point. All that is just the different news channels playing on people’s biases. In my eyes, he’s just a son returning home after five long years.

IMO Obama has lost his mind his last term or more.

On what grounds?

Obama had to know this man was a deserter.

Did he? Was He ?
And why on earth would it make the slightest bit of difference if both answers are eventually proven positive?

He signed a bill to give congress notice and ignored it.

Lets see, these releases have been in the pipeline for 4 years.
1 year and 3 months ago the final deal was put forward by the US.
3 months ago the afghan government on a visit to the US urged the prisoners to accept the deal.
How can congress claim they were unaware of it for the required 28 days?
Were they asleep 4 years ago? were they still asleep 15 moths ago? did they doze on 3 months ago?

We all know these 5 Taliban leaders will soon be back in the business of terror.

For that to happen you would have to designate the Taliban as a terrorist group.

For the life of me I can't believe all the Dem spin I've heard this morning.

Yet I am not at all surprised at the Republican spin.
I do think Fox has really excelled itself in being lowlife pondscum on this issue.
O'Reilly really was the cream of the malignant crop, though of course I don't think he will accept any blame for the death threats now being issued to the family, after all the famiy do look like muslims don't they.
Though I suppose if you put a bandana on it and started ranting about woopsies they could look like the duck dynasty and be heralded for expressing their views as free born Americans


@Halsey

If it was any of the previous administrations i'd say he wouldn't have even been exchanged.

Exchanges, even contravercial ones are a long running regular occurance through numerous previous administrations.
Don't forget that those raising the loudest objections are the very people who sing the praises of people who made certain prisoner swaps when they were clearly and very specifically banned under US law.

@Buna

At this point in time I would have to agree with Tina Grimm below but only an investigation will ever bring the matter to a definitive end one way or the other.

Well said.

[Oberon]

Basically

(read from bottom up [Better now Schroeder? ])

Basically

Classic
Plus don't forget. We are told repeatedly by certain people that anyone who puts on a uniform is somehow magically special.
Bergdahl put on a uniform so he too is special.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

What we think is irrelevant. Either he is or he isn't, and anyone who thinks one way or the other will be proven wrong or right. Idle speculation is useless.

So OK for Obama not to consult with congress and free basically the leaders for the Taliban.

[Oberon]

Then, of course, there's Fox News:





So...beards make you look like the Taliban, right?


Taliban members on tour.


Jewish Taliban


Sikh Taliban


Green Beret Taliban

Gee, those Taliban sure do come in different shapes and sizes.

And this morning I hear that Bowe Bergdahls father is receiving death threats, as if he isn't already going through enough with the media building his son up and then tearing him apart.

So, my opinion is:

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Originally Posted by Armistead

So OK for Obama not to consult with congress and free basically the leaders for the Taliban.

If the leaders of the Taliban have been in Cuba all this time then who has been kicking your butt in Afghanistan for the past decade?

[Catfish]

Methinks this thread should have stopped after Oberon's post.
This was a good one

[Mr Quatro]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Methinks this thread should have stopped after Oberon's post.
This was a good one

Methinks this is one of the nicer threads I have seen on the net on the subject of Bergdahl/five Taliban prisoner exchange.

I'm shocked it took 8 days to wind up here, but I'm glad it did take that long. I've been up and I've been down about this exchange.

A man's life was involved, Bergdahl's life that is. I was mad and I was angry, but after seeing the filmed release by the Taliban my heart melted for him, no matter what the rest of the story may yield ...

President Obama did the right thing ... Congress is Washington and Congress would've spoiled the deal ... the same deal that has been discussed for over four years.

True President Obama's desire is to empty and close Guantanamo Bay, but these same five men were going to be released next year anyway as the war in Afghanistan winds down this is what they do ... release prisoners.

Better to get something now than nothing later.

This was a good deal and most important it is a done deal.

Sure those five men are still dangerous and they will return to fighting the war in Afghanistan, but only a few American soldiers will be left by then for training the Afghanistan army.

Get over it ... America did the right thing.

[Stealhead]

Israel has traded hundreds of prisoners for one single IDF solider and for them that is a much larger risk(to release direct combatants)seeing as they are literally surrounded by enemies.

There currently no solid proof that Bergdahl deserted.

What was that thing back in the day? Oh yeah Iran-Contra oops.