Obama screwed up big time on this one. He thought he could use the current pro veteran attitude of the country for political gain. The more I learn the more disgusting this becomes. The private's own platoon is now calling for his court martial. This is not "swift boaters" BTW, they couldn't organize this quickly. I am amused at people who never even set foot on a military base telling US how the military operates.

Even hard corps Democrats are not happy;

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said her panel should have been notified before the transfer. Past proposals for prisoner swaps with the Taliban raised “considerable concern,” she added.

I voted for Obama the first time but not the second; don't blame me I voted for Jeffery Boss. BTW what Regan did was much worse but he had alzheimer's and didn't know what he was doing.

Sorry Obama no homecoming hero's welcome for you.

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For example...

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Obama has a concentration camp that he has promised to close, but the prisoners have never been tried nor convicted of any crime so no one will take them off his hands. He cannot close the politically embarrassing camp and he cannot get rid of the potentially dangerous people in it.

Carefully with the use of "concentration camp" I think gulag might be better. In any case though it's a left over from previous regime and can hardly be embarrassed by it.

My suggestion would be to allow the detainees refuge in to the US where FBI can monitor them.

As a Vietnam veteran of USAF Special Operations, YOU DO NOT LEAVE SOMEONE ON THE FIELD, regardless of the reason, if at all possible. All I have seen on this thread is how President Obama negotiated with terrorists, but nothing about how this President, negotiated indirectly I might add, for the return of a soldier, that has been held by an opposing combat force for five years. We are currently in a war and as such he negotiated to get a prisoner of war back home. Regardless of how/why Sgt. Bergdahl was captured, regardless of his mental state at the time, he was in a combat area at the time of his capture, therefore his is/was a prisoner of war.

...

I realize that Sgt. Bergdahl has been accused of being a deserter, but his mental state will be hashed out during his re-intergradation, and once he is physically capable of returning to the states the matter of his being a deserter will be addressed.

I respect your service and how that shapes your assessment of this. It's does seem clear though that the private abandoned his unit, becoming a deserter by definition. As such, I don't see that US owes him too much.

Had he been picked up by US troops he would have likely been court-martialled and serving time at Fort Leavenworth.

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Kolch - Crunching for the BOINC@Australia team since July 2004.
Search for your own intelligence...

I've been silent on this so far, but no longer. I have not seen one post on this thread from anyone claiming outright to be a member of the armed forces, either former or active duty.

I had mixed feelings mostly positive until I learned some of the story. I still had mixed feelings but neutral until I found out the entire story. The private was suckered into joining thinking he was going to help people. HUH? The infantry does not help they kill. The sad thing is both sided don't give a poop about veterans unless they can be used for political gain; like the "swift boaters".

McCain told a pair of reporters that the negotiated release of the five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in return for Bergdahl “poses a great threat to the lives and well-being of American servicemen and women in the future.”
And had the Arizona Republican won the presidency in 2008 and sat in the White House today, he would not have OK’d the deal.

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I've been silent on this so far, but no longer. I have not seen one post on this thread from anyone claiming outright to be a member of the armed forces, either former or active duty. As a Vietnam veteran of USAF Special Operations, YOU DO NOT LEAVE SOMEONE ON THE FIELD, regardless of the reason, if at all possible. All I have seen on this thread is how President Obama negotiated with terrorists, but nothing about how this President, negotiated indirectly I might add, for the return of a soldier, that has been held by an opposing combat force for five years. We are currently in a war and as such he negotiated to get a prisoner of war back home. Regardless of how/why Sgt. Bergdahl was captured, regardless of his mental state at the time, he was in a combat area at the time of his capture, therefore his is/was a prisoner of war.

Where was the outrage when your Great God Ronald Regan traded guns with terrorists for the release of Iranian prisoners, who by the way were not prisoners of war? Remember Iran-Contra anyone? Where was the outrage when George W. Bush negotiated to release some 596 people over his term, to get back some of ours?

I realize that Sgt. Bergdahl has been accused of being a deserter, but his mental state will be hashed out during his re-intergradation, and once he is physically capable of returning to the states the matter of his being a deserter will be addressed.

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I don't buy computers, I build them!!

A White House insider said Obama administration officials didn't anticipate how controversial Bergdahl's rescue would be, and compared it to the 1981 release of 52 US hostages in Iran

Obama didn't sell weapons to the Taliban to get his release. "The great communicator" is a Republican g-d too.

If this isn't a trick to whack some Taliban Obama is in deep do-do. The more I know about this the more it should have been left as it was.

This private, at the time, appears to have mental problems that made him want to walk across Afghanistan. This private is no hero.

6 soldiers killed searching for ‘deserter’ POW, fueling backlash

Hailey Idaho, better take down the balloons or this will get ugly fast. Or better yet have the parade for the six heroes who died looking for the private. How did this guy get two promotions after he left his post?

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I don't care enough to read news of this story but a glance at the dossier of Taliban prisoners released seems likely that there's way more going on here that's not reported.

Obama has a concentration camp that he has promised to close, but the prisoners have never been tried nor convicted of any crime so no one will take them off his hands. He cannot close the politically embarrassing camp and he cannot get rid of the potentially dangerous people in it.

He was given the opportunity to trade those people under certain conditions for a US soldier. It seems like a win-win to me considering what a mess the whole Guantanamo situation is.

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Reality Internet Personality

update..

Taliban prisoner swap was ILLEGAL claims GOP as former federal prosecutor says it could lead to Obama's impeachment

The president ignored a law – which he signed last year – requiring him to notify Congress 30 days before releasing anyone from Guantanamo Bay
The Obama administration never told Capitol Hill until after Bergdahl was in American custody and the US Taliban prisoners were preparing to leave
A former federal prosecutor told MailOnline that while the 30-day-notice law is probably unconstitutional, putting enemy combatants back in a position to harm Americans is an impeachable offense
A White House insider said Obama administration officials didn't anticipate how controversial Bergdahl's rescue would be, and compared it to the 1981 release of 52 US hostages in Iran

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2646425/Taliban-prisoner-swap-ILLEGAL-claims-GOP-former-federal-prosecutor-claims-lead-Obamas-IMPEACHMENT.html#ixzz33X48V4cE

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I don't care enough to read news of this story but a glance at the dossier of Taliban prisoners released seems likely that there's way more going on here that's not reported.

Maybe they agreed to only fight in Chechnya and Crimea.

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I don't care enough to read news of this story but a glance at the dossier of Taliban prisoners released seems likely that there's way more going on here that's not reported.

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Kolch - Crunching for the BOINC@Australia team since July 2004.
Search for your own intelligence...

If I were an American citizen outside the borders of the USA and especially in the middle east right now I would be packing my bags and grabbing the next boat back to the USA. And I do mean boat.

And I hope that GPS implant was deep and surrounded by just enough C4 to take out the detainee and a few of his friends.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

For six years now I have avoided making negative remarks about our President but I think maybe I was being too generous.

You still are. Cinderella? Don't you mean the "Evil stepmother" instead?

What you guys need as a "fairy godmother" to turn him into a rat if he's still in the White House after midnight :-)

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http://www.commdiginews.com/news-2/who-are-the-taliban-terrorists-released-by-obama-in-exchange-for-sgt-bergdahl-18676

Below is the information of those released by the United States according to their Guantanamo Dockets, in the exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl:

Abdul Haq Wasiq

Place of Birth: Ghazni, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1971

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommendation for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for detainment: This detainee was a high-level Taliban intelligence officer who has direct access to Taliban leadership. He was central to Taliban efforts to form alliances with other Islamic fundamentalist groups to fight against the US and Coalition forces. He also coordinated intelligence training between al-Qaeda and the Taliban

Value: The detainee is considered to be of HIGH intelligence value. He may have in-depth knowledge of high-value terrorists still engaged in hostilities. He should have a working knowledge of Taliban intelligence operations and procedures.

Mullah Norullah Noori

Place of Birth: Shayjoy, Zabul Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1967

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee is an admitted senior member of the Taliban and led troops against the US and Coalition forces. He was directly subordinate to Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Omar, commanded Taliban forces in Northern Afghanistan and in late 2001 was in charge of Taliban troops positioned near Mazar-e-Sharif. The detainee is wanted by UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites. He is also associated with members of al-Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and the Hezb-E-Islami Gulbuddin. He continues to encourage acts of aggression and his brother is a current Taliban commander.

Value: Determined to be of HIGH intelligence value. He has held positions that provided access to sensitive information. Had access to information on weapons, opium trade, money networks and extremist activities. Detainee is considered one of the most significant Taliban officials detained.

Khirullah Said Wali Khairkhwa

Place of Birth: Argastan, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1967

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee was a senior Taliban official serving as the Minister of Interior, Governor of Herat and a military commander. He was directly associated to UBL and Mullah Omar and was added to the UN financial freeze list. Detainee attended a meeting at the direction of UBL, along with members of HAMAS. He attended meetings with Iranian officials seeking to support hostilities against the US. He was associated with militant training camp in Heart. He was identified as a narcotics trafficker and became one of the premier opium drug lords in Western Afghanistan. It is believed that he used the profits from the drugs to promote Taliban interests.

Value: Assessed to be of HIGH intelligence value. Detainee was a high level official with connections to many other high ranking officials. Should be able to provide information on Mullah Omar and high ranking Iranian officials. The detainee can provide information on the Opium trade and militant training camps.

Mohammed Nabi Omari

Place of Birth: Metakhan Village, Khowst Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1968

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee was a senior Taliban official who served in multiple leadership roles. He has strong ties to active ACM networks including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and HIG personnel. He was involved in HIG attacks against the US forces and supported extremist elements through weapon smuggling and storage. During detention his behavior was aggressive and non-compliant towards guards and forces. He had more than 37 reports of discipline infractions including one where he threw a cup of feces at the face of a guard and others including mass disturbances, threats, attempted suicide, possession of drugs and damage to property.

Value: He is of HIGH intelligence value. He has knowledge of many high ranking officials, networks and extremist organizations. The detainee is believed to also have information about human smuggling networks through Khowst Province.

Mullah Mohammed Fazl

Place of Birth: Sekzi, Charchineh District, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth:1967

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment.

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee is an admitted senior Taliban official who was assigned to the position of Deputy Minister of Defense. Detainee also served as the Chief of Staff of the Taliban Army and the Commander of the 22nd Division. Detainee is wanted by the UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites. He has association with significant al-Qaeda and other extremist personnel. If released the detainee would likely rejoin the Taliban and reestablish ties with anti-American militias.

Value: He is of HIGH intelligence value. Detainee’s placement and access provided him knowledge on many key individuals, decisions and activities of the Taliban. He has specific information on groups that provided support to the Taliban. Detainee also has significant information on Taliban and al-Qaeda personnel still active today.

Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/news-2/who-are-the-taliban-terrorists-released-by-obama-in-exchange-for-sgt-bergdahl-18676/#44pPaKvSx0j2XFym.99

And these guys are all going to be good little boys and stay out of the fighting for a year. We have Cinderella in disguise as the President of the United States. For six years now I have avoided making negative remarks about our President but I think maybe I was being too generous.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Sgt. Bergdahl was promoted after he wandered off. So he was not an NCO at the time. I could understand going outside the fire base to mingle with the locals for personal needs but leaving your weapon behind makes an Infantryman useless. "This is my rifle without me it is useless, without my rifle I am useless".

Bergdahl's father described his son to military investigators as "psychologically isolated".
I just hope these clowns who were release had GPS chips implanted.

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http://www.commdiginews.com/news-2/who-are-the-taliban-terrorists-released-by-obama-in-exchange-for-sgt-bergdahl-18676

Below is the information of those released by the United States according to their Guantanamo Dockets, in the exchange for Sgt. Bergdahl:

Abdul Haq Wasiq

Place of Birth: Ghazni, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1971

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommendation for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for detainment: This detainee was a high-level Taliban intelligence officer who has direct access to Taliban leadership. He was central to Taliban efforts to form alliances with other Islamic fundamentalist groups to fight against the US and Coalition forces. He also coordinated intelligence training between al-Qaeda and the Taliban

Value: The detainee is considered to be of HIGH intelligence value. He may have in-depth knowledge of high-value terrorists still engaged in hostilities. He should have a working knowledge of Taliban intelligence operations and procedures.

Mullah Norullah Noori

Place of Birth: Shayjoy, Zabul Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1967

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee is an admitted senior member of the Taliban and led troops against the US and Coalition forces. He was directly subordinate to Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Omar, commanded Taliban forces in Northern Afghanistan and in late 2001 was in charge of Taliban troops positioned near Mazar-e-Sharif. The detainee is wanted by UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites. He is also associated with members of al-Qaeda, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and the Hezb-E-Islami Gulbuddin. He continues to encourage acts of aggression and his brother is a current Taliban commander.

Value: Determined to be of HIGH intelligence value. He has held positions that provided access to sensitive information. Had access to information on weapons, opium trade, money networks and extremist activities. Detainee is considered one of the most significant Taliban officials detained.

Khirullah Said Wali Khairkhwa

Place of Birth: Argastan, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1967

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee was a senior Taliban official serving as the Minister of Interior, Governor of Herat and a military commander. He was directly associated to UBL and Mullah Omar and was added to the UN financial freeze list. Detainee attended a meeting at the direction of UBL, along with members of HAMAS. He attended meetings with Iranian officials seeking to support hostilities against the US. He was associated with militant training camp in Heart. He was identified as a narcotics trafficker and became one of the premier opium drug lords in Western Afghanistan. It is believed that he used the profits from the drugs to promote Taliban interests.

Value: Assessed to be of HIGH intelligence value. Detainee was a high level official with connections to many other high ranking officials. Should be able to provide information on Mullah Omar and high ranking Iranian officials. The detainee can provide information on the Opium trade and militant training camps.

Mohammed Nabi Omari

Place of Birth: Metakhan Village, Khowst Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth: 1968

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee was a senior Taliban official who served in multiple leadership roles. He has strong ties to active ACM networks including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and HIG personnel. He was involved in HIG attacks against the US forces and supported extremist elements through weapon smuggling and storage. During detention his behavior was aggressive and non-compliant towards guards and forces. He had more than 37 reports of discipline infractions including one where he threw a cup of feces at the face of a guard and others including mass disturbances, threats, attempted suicide, possession of drugs and damage to property.

Value: He is of HIGH intelligence value. He has knowledge of many high ranking officials, networks and extremist organizations. The detainee is believed to also have information about human smuggling networks through Khowst Province.

Mullah Mohammed Fazl

Place of Birth: Sekzi, Charchineh District, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan

Date of Birth:1967

Citizenship: Afghanistan

Recommendation: Recommended for continued detainment.

Assessment: HIGH risk as he is likely to pose a threat to US and allies.

Reason for Detainment: Detainee is an admitted senior Taliban official who was assigned to the position of Deputy Minister of Defense. Detainee also served as the Chief of Staff of the Taliban Army and the Commander of the 22nd Division. Detainee is wanted by the UN for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shiites. He has association with significant al-Qaeda and other extremist personnel. If released the detainee would likely rejoin the Taliban and reestablish ties with anti-American militias.

Value: He is of HIGH intelligence value. Detainee’s placement and access provided him knowledge on many key individuals, decisions and activities of the Taliban. He has specific information on groups that provided support to the Taliban. Detainee also has significant information on Taliban and al-Qaeda personnel still active today.

Read more at http://www.commdiginews.com/news-2/who-are-the-taliban-terrorists-released-by-obama-in-exchange-for-sgt-bergdahl-18676/#44pPaKvSx0j2XFym.99

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...

What beggars belief for me is that if the OP is correct, that serviceman should never have been allowed to serve!

In a warzone, going for a leisurely walk unarmed...

...What a beautiful target, he might as well have painted a bullseye on his chest!

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I'm looking for a report on what they were charged with and their trial. Can you point me to it?

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Reality Internet Personality