(OT) Confirmed: Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban leaders at Gitmo

[Weave]

I know I don't post much so it's quite possible you don't know, but I've been a soldier for over 20 years. To assume I "don't know crap about the situation" is quite ignorant of you. I'm actually pretty knowledgeable about it. More so than anyone who posts here except possibly Dwight depending on what his buddy in the 2 shop told him, and even then his information would be second hand. (BTW Dwight, there's not a whole lot of Master Sergeants in the intel world, there's a good chance I know him. If he's stationed at Campbell or Lewis I definately know him.)

 

My comment to your post was in reference to the "I'm sure they are all broken up about the mans rights". I assumed the they you were referring to was soldiers, of which I am one.

 

Put down the bottle, take a deep breath, and stop trying so hard to be an ######. Life can't be that bad.

 

It was me, not Dwight.

[Campy]

What about the possibility that at least one of the five have been turned? We're not going to release these guys without thoroughly thinking it through. This thing doesn't go on for five years without our intelligence community being very well aware of a lot of things. As has been suggested several times early in the thread, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see these guys involved in a drone strike somewhere down the line.

 

I think they have to live in Qatar under what amounts to a house arrest with surveillance, and I heard that any family who comes from Afghanistan to visit cannot leave Qatar.

 

That being the case, the amount of damage they could do to US interests has got to be pretty limited. And with a couple of US air bases and an army base in Qatar, I can't imagine any of the 5 could fart without the US intelligence apparatus knowing.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

It was me, not Dwight.

 

Do you feel dirty we were confused?

[Hank]

Sorry weave, statement stands though. Give your buddy my name, we might know eachother where is he stationed?

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

What about the possibility that at least one of the five have been turned? We're not going to release these guys without thoroughly thinking it through. This thing doesn't go on for five years without our intelligence community being very well aware of a lot of things. As has been suggested several times early in the thread, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see these guys involved in a drone strike somewhere down the line.

 

There's another angle to this. They don't keep that guy alive for 5 years. Period. He would have been a much more valuable tool to them to decapitate on the internet. That is, unless he was providing them with more value......

 

We can look at this from 20 different angles. The administration is going to need to look smart on this somehow. There is a reason this happened now. Whether or not any of the 5 "turned", I am sure there will be sometime in the near future, a heroic US effort in taking out some target that will be credited to this exchange. The only options that scare me on this is that there is something in the pipeline that is deemed credible and the US is trying to stall it. Who knows.....read a Clancy novel....more credible.....

[darksabre]

 

 

I honestly have know idea. I just know how I feel as someone who was directly affected. Li wouldn't be able to put aside my own bias to rationally discuss it.

 

That's fair.

[Weave]

Sorry weave, statement stands though. Give your buddy my name, we might know eachother where is he stationed?

 

I'm reluctant to go there. It's awkward enough to tell a guy, "hey I was talking about you on the internet", let alone telling him I've told folks where he's stationed.

[beerme1]

At first I thought we gave up too much, but I just read Darcy also got the Taliban's first round pick in 2015 and second in 2016. Nice.

 

(I guess I should add that, in all seriousness, it's a great day for Bowe and his family. Republicans can crap on it in 3... 2... wait, what's that Jim? They already have? Huh.)

 

I really don't want to but I feel I need to. So you and the dems are ok with returning five top soldiers to the field for the Taliban. In exchange for someone who by all accounts so far decided to ignore the chosen path he took, the oath he took, walk away from all he served with, denounce his citizenship, cost many others lives to those who were killed looking for him, with yet another blind eye by POTUS to the constitution and yet you managed to be sly about this huh?

Pretty much why I refuse to discuss politics around work or message boards. Enjoy.

[Hoss]

Generalizing. Always a good way to win a political debate.

[beerme1]

Generalizing. Always a good way to win a political debate.

 

Debate or joke? Sure can't tell by the op. But what I have heard form his fellow soldiers is pretty incriminating. I'm more than willing to give the man his day in court an disprove these claims and give him his due or see that he is in fact all of that and then, give him due.

Personally either way, whatever side you're on I find it classless to be making a joke out of this. Men died. And now even more of ours will.

[I am Defecting]

I would be glad if the 5 released Taliban were my 5 close brothers. I would teach my 5 brothers how to grow 5 different crops, so they would not be hungry. I would teach them how to build shelter, so they will not be cold. Day by day, I would teach them how to become a sustainable nation again. It may take years, so I will also teach them to sell heroin and marijuana to American soldiers, so that they will get through the tough times, before becoming sustainable. When the Americans burn their poppy/marijuana fields I will vanish.

 

5 years will pass. My 5 brothers will end up in Guantanamo.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Yuri Olesha

[shrader]

There's another angle to this. They don't keep that guy alive for 5 years. Period. He would have been a much more valuable tool to them to decapitate on the internet. That is, unless he was providing them with more value......

 

We can look at this from 20 different angles. The administration is going to need to look smart on this somehow. There is a reason this happened now. Whether or not any of the 5 "turned", I am sure there will be sometime in the near future, a heroic US effort in taking out some target that will be credited to this exchange. The only options that scare me on this is that there is something in the pipeline that is deemed credible and the US is trying to stall it. Who knows.....read a Clancy novel....more credible.....

 

What sucks is that we can never know what the full story is on this thing. But it does lead to more fun with rampant internet speculation.

[Eleven]

What sucks is that we can never know what the full story is on this thing. But it does lead to more fun with rampant internet speculation.

 

It's ok. We're one tsunami, mass shooting, Arab country revolution, or bird flu epidemic from this guy fading back into obscurity. He'll be on page seven, below the fold, in two weeks.

[SarasotaSabre]

Aside from the rampant speculation about Bergdahl's possible desertion and possible collaboration with the Taliban (read the eyewitness accounts of his platoon mates who have come forward with knowledge that subsequent Taliban/Haqqani IED strikes were carried out with unprecedented, pinpoint, deadly precision; indicative of an inside job), the following unsettling facts have come to light in the last 48 hours:

• our commander in chief violated the law he pushed by failing to provide the House/Senate committees 30 days notice of his intent to broker the swap;
  
• he naively thought he'd create a PR coup by staging the phony "hero's welcome" in the Rose Garden with Bergdahl's parents....this has blown up in his face. Maybe he should have staged a similar ceremony honoring the family of a loved one who died while awaiting treatment at a VA Hospital....oops, that would not have the desired effect and would not be politically expedient;
  
• this prisoner/deserter swap with the Taliban dream team of top 5 was done coincidentally right on the heels of the VA fiasco and resulting firestorm - regardless of one's opinion of Bergdahl, he is a political pawn, a court jester in Monarch Obama's fiefdom.
  
• the naivete and utter arrogance of Obama's disregard for the rule of law is beyond shocking and is now (and has been for some time) clearly impeachable;
  
• he has set a very deadly & dangerous precedent by showing the U.S, (at least under his Administration) is open for business in negotiating with the Taliban - expect more hostage and ransom activity to take place, and Americans abroad to be put in harm's way because of the actions of Barry's political agenda
  
• Obama brazenly, and, again, naively admitted that the freed Taliban Dream Team would very likely return to active hostile action. Video was shown of the being welcomed as heroes as if they had scored a coup, which they clearly have
  

Flame away as I am sure those here on the Left will do - I am beyond disgusted by the shameless, careless actions of this President.

[LastPommerFan]

Aside from the rampant speculation about Bergdahl's possible desertion and possible collaboration with the Taliban (read the eyewitness accounts of his platoon mates who have come forward with knowledge that subsequent Taliban/Haqqani IED strikes were carried out with unprecedented, pinpoint, deadly precision; indicative of an inside job), the following unsettling facts have come to light in the last 48 hours:

• our commander in chief violated the law he pushed by failing to provide the House/Senate committees 30 days notice of his intent to broker the swap;
  
• he naively thought he'd create a PR coup by staging the phony "hero's welcome" in the Rose Garden with Bergdahl's parents....this has blown up in his face. Maybe he should have staged a similar ceremony honoring the family of a loved one who died while awaiting treatment at a VA Hospital....oops, that would not have the desired effect and would not be politically expedient;
  
• this prisoner/deserter swap with the Taliban dream team of top 5 was done coincidentally right on the heels of the VA fiasco and resulting firestorm - regardless of one's opinion of Bergdahl, he is a political pawn, a court jester in Monarch Obama's fiefdom.
  
• the naivete and utter arrogance of Obama's disregard for the rule of law is beyond shocking and is now (and has been for some time) clearly impeachable;
  
• he has set a very deadly & dangerous precedent by showing the U.S, (at least under his Administration) is open for business in negotiating with the Taliban - expect more hostage and ransom activity to take place, and Americans abroad to be put in harm's way because of the actions of Barry's political agenda
  
• Obama brazenly, and, again, naively admitted that the freed Taliban Dream Team would very likely return to active hostile action. Video was shown of the being welcomed as heroes as if they had scored a coup, which they clearly have
  

Flame away as I am sure those here on the Left will do - I am beyond disgusted by the shameless, careless actions of this President.

 

I agree with everything here except the impeachable offense and not noting that this was a negotiation for a POW, not a civilian hostage, and it was with the group we originally went to war against, which at the time was the government of Afganistan, not some random terrorist group (I noted up thread the modern asymmetric warfare makes this a clouded mess).

 

But the risk in the swap, the stupid PR play, the brazenness of his admission that some might rejoin the fight. All bad.

[Randall Flagg]

 

Flame away as I am sure those here on the Left will do - I am beyond disgusted by the shameless, careless actions of this President.

I agree with everything here except the impeachable offense and not noting that this was a negotiation for a POW, not a civilian hostage, and it was with the group we originally went to war against, which at the time was the government of Afganistan, not some random terrorist group (I noted up thread the modern asymmetric warfare makes this a clouded mess).

 

But the risk in the swap, the stupid PR play, the brazenness of his admission that some might rejoin the fight. All bad.

Yep, this liberal sure flamed as they all do, another example of why broad-brush stereotypes are great things :doh:

[MILFHUNTER#518]

 

Yep, this liberal sure flamed as they all do, another example of why broad-brush stereotypes are great things :doh:

It is not really a generalization (outside of the rhetoric, and the call for impeachment), the facts he stated are all true. As a former combat soldier, Mr. Berghdal deserves to be tried for desertion AND treason (the latter for the alleged help he gave the enemy in perfecting their attacks against his unit, and his acts trying to seek out and join the taliban). If convicted on either of those counts, he should be put in front of a wall and shot. Too easy. Edited June 4, 2014 by MILFHUNTER#518

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

It is not really a generalization (outside of the rhetoric, and the call for impeachment), the facts he stated are all true. As a former combat soldier, Mr. Berghdal deserves to be tried for desertion AND treason (the latter for the alleged help he gave the enemy in perfecting their attacks against his unit, and his acts trying to seek out and join the taliban). If convicted on either of those counts, he should be put in front of a wall and shot. Too easy.

 

So I see the guy's father last week tweeted that there won't be justice til all the Guantanamo dudes are released.

 

Then the first words out of his mouth at the White House was about Allah being great and yada yada...and Obama was smiling?

 

Holy crapballs. I'm just catching up on this, but I pray for our military to stay sane. We just traded away 5 of the top guys for a deserter who lambasted the military, renounced his American citizenship, got a platoon killed, has his father clamoring for the release of all his brother Taliban prisoners, and then is hosted by the Commander in Chief at the White House where he is admired for his Islamic praise....AFTER...everything else. What are the odds Obama can recite a Hail Mary without a teleprompter.

 

What a sh!t day.

 

 

[LastPommerFan]

 

 

 

What are the odds Obama can recite a Hail Mary without a teleprompter.

 

 

Really unlikely since he's not Catholic.

[MILFHUNTER#518]

I know some were speculating about MAYBE one of the Al-Qaeda terrorist involved in the "trade" were a plant, or maybe some covert plan was involved that MAY help us down the road. My question is, If that is the case, then WHY THE HELL are the DEMS piling on criticism as well?

[Weave]

Really unlikely since he's not Catholic.

 

OK, that was funny.

[LastPommerFan]

I know some were speculating about MAYBE one of the Al-Qaeda terrorist involved in the "trade" were a plant, or maybe some covert plan was involved that MAY help us down the road. My question is, If that is the case, then WHY THE HELL are the DEMS piling on criticism as well?

 

Because the administration tried to parlay a PR coup into it. Negotiating for POWs is always bad news. It almost always involves a 1 for many swap of bad guys. We're really good at capturing people and really good at not getting captured. But getting they guys out is like making sausage. You don't brag to the public about how it's made. This administration is an abomination to public relations. It has been for some time now.

 

I still like the policies overall, but I won't be sad to get someone in there who isn't constantly reacting to their own PR miscues.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Really unlikely since he's not Catholic.

 

He's not Muslim either, but he was on top of this, and said one of the most beautiful things in the world is the sound of their prayer.

 

I don't care if he is Muslim in a vacuum, but considering all the facts around THIS circumstance....WTF is going on?

 

[MILFHUNTER#518]

 

 

He's not Muslim either, but he was on top of this, and said one of the most beautiful things in the world is the sound of their prayer.

 

I don't care if he is Muslim in a vacuum, but considering all the facts around THIS circumstance....WTF is going on?

it sure leaves a lot more questions than answers, that is for sure...

[wjag]

I can't imagine a PR win turning into a PR nightmare any faster than this one did. What a debacle.