Thursday, June 5, 2014

Obama Administration Tries to Fend off Attacks over Bergdahl Exchange

The Obama administration has been fending off attacks over its handling of the prisoner swap for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who according to several reports, walked off base in June 2009 and was captured by the Haqqani network, a Taliban-aligned group.

When Bergdahl was released on May 31, President Obama announced the development as a great triumph, as Bergdahl was the only remaining American prisoner of war held in Afghanistan. As more details about Bergdahl came out, however, the initial joy has turned to controversy.

One of the first details to be released was the fact that five senior Taliban leaders had been exchanged for Bergdahl.

Credit: Fox News
Prior to their captures, these men were senior officials in the Taliban. One of them, Mullah Norullah Noori, was a governor of an Afghan province under the Taliban dictatorship of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban, which lasted from 1996-2001.

The men will be required to stay in the country of Qatar for one year; afterwards they will be free to leave. The general consensus among analysts is that the they will rejoin the Taliban insurgency once free.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), wrote a letter Senate Armed Service Committee, which said in part that the men "have American blood on their hands and surely as night follows day they will return to the fight.”  

Attention has new turned to Bergdahl himself. National Security Advisor Susan Rice said on two Sunday morning shows that Bergdahl served “with honor and distinction" and went so far as to suggest he was captured on the battlefield. Republicans have strongly criticized her for those remarks, saying that they are similar to remarks Rice gave in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack. In those remarks she said that the attack was the result of an escalation of protests that stemmed from the anti-Islamic video that sparked protests in Egypt. That premise was proven to be false.

Prior to his capture, Bergdahl had sent an email to his parents, which, according to a Rolling Stone article by the late Michael Hastings, said

"The future is too good to waste on lies. And life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. I have seen their ideas and I am ashamed to even be american. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that they thrive in. It is all revolting."

The email also said,

"In the US army you are cut down for being honest... but if you are a conceited brown nosing [expletive] bag you will be allowed to do what ever you want, and you will be handed your higher rank... The system is wrong. I am ashamed to be an american. And the title of US soldier is just the lie of fools...I am sorry for everything here. These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid, that they have no idea how to live. We don't even care when we hear each other talk about running their children down in the dirt streets with our armored trucks... We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them...I am sorry for everything. The horror that is america is disgusting...There are a few more boxes coming to you guys. Feel free to open them, and use them."

Read the original article here.

Adding to the controversy, Bergdahl's fellow soldiers have criticized him.

Former Sgt. Matt Vierkant said, "I was pissed off then, and I am even more so now with everything going on. Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war, and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."

Sgt. Evan Buetow, Bergdahl's team leader at the time of his disappearance, had this to say about him: "Bergdahl is a deserter, and he's not a hero. He needs to answer for what he did."

In the search for Bergdahl, six soldiers in total were killed by enemy forces.


Republicans in Congress have criticized the Obama administration for what they perceive as setting a precedent for negotiating with terrorist and not coming to Congress first to approve the prisoner swap. Democrats have countered that the nation's duty to never leave a soldier behind and Bergdahl's condition trumped those concerns.

Bergdahl's father, Bob Bergdahl, has also found himself in controversy. Bergdahl reportedly immersed himself in Afghan culture while his son was held captive, learning the native language and studying the customs.

According to the New York Daily News, he sent out a number of tweets with apparently pro-Taliban messages. One tweet read, “working to free all Guantanmo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen!”

Bob Bergdahl's appearance has also caused some controversy. Bergdahl has grown out his beard during his son's captivity. Fox News host Bill O'Reilly commented, saying, “But it is Robert Bergdahl, the father, who is also engendering some controversy. He has learned to speak Pashto, the language of the Taliban, and looks like a Muslim. He is also somewhat sympathetic to Islam, actually thanking Allah right in front of the President.” O'Reilly has faced criticism for those remarks.
In the wake of the controversy, Bergdahl's hometown of Hailey, Idaho, has canceled a rally for Bergdahl, saying that the town "will be unable to safely manage the number of people expected." Most attribute it to the rising backlash against Bergdahl and his possible desertion.

If sufficient evidence is indeed gathered, desertion charges against Bergdahl may be charged in the coming days and weeks.