The Bergdahl Controversy

[Lord MJ]

So there has been a firestorm in US politics lately over Obama's decision to release 5 Taliban prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl's release.

GOP politicians who had previously been demanding Bergdahl's release are now condemning it. Also saying that Obama broke a law that required 30 days congressional notification if any prisoners are released from Guantanamo.

His fellow soldiers accusing him of being a deserter with claims that soldiers died searching for him after being captured, and that he wouldn't have been captured in the first place if he didn't leave his base.

So should Obama have made the deal? Are the Republicans full of BS making the fuss about it? And what of civilian captives still held by the Taliban and Al Queda?

[Mr Bean]

Short from
Bergdahl might have deserted he might have been absent without authorization and then captured or he might just be an idiot who hated being sent to A-stan and happen to get grabbed. His dislike of the mission was public record. We will bring him home, investigate and then act accordingly.

That said, we are letting go five guys we've never bothered prosecuting for over ten years now for someone who we will likely end up prosecuting ourselves now. Will any of the five rejoin the fight? Well Qatar is holding them for a year which means by the time they are free to return to their home country they might not have anyone to fight... and the chances of them coming back into any European or American areas are small. In fact I greatly fear the families of these five captives than I do the captives thmselves for future terrorist recruits.

At the end of the day, Congress can get out a ruler and hit Obama knuckles over the failure to inform them of the ongoing talks but otherwise they can go fuck themselves, he's the Commander in Chief and head of Civilian authority... he's just fine handling hostage exchanges or trading prisoners. After all you had another president and ten years to charge them with something.

[Highlord Laan]

He's a fucking deserter that should have been left to rot. But since he's being brought home, he should be met by MP's, face a court martial, and then face whatever punishment the UCMJ dictates for deserting ones post during wartime.

[Pelranius]

The NYT reports that Bergdahl had at least wandered off the reservation twice before, once in California and the other time in Afghanistan. To hear some of my veteran friends, bored soldiers and Marines sneaking off base for a few hours isn't exactly uncommon.

Some of the less flattering speculation says that Bergdahl was outside the wire looking to buy weed, got high and got lost.

[Knife]

We have no idea what he is or the circumstances of his capture. That being said, he's ours, and should be brought back home. I will not endorse Afghanistan shitheads being our instrument of justice. If Bergdahl did something illegal against the USA, he should be punished with US law, not Taliban law. He is ours, bring him home. If he did something wrong against us, bring him home and then investigate, not some fuckwit goat herder on the opposite side of the earth.

[General Zod]

He's a fucking deserter that should have been left to rot. But since he's being brought home, he should be met by MP's, face a court martial, and then face whatever punishment the UCMJ dictates for deserting ones post during wartime.

If we're going to charge him as a deserter, maybe we could give him a trial and let him present a defense before deciding to lock him up to rot? Or would that be too radical?

[Vympel]

That this is even a "controversy" shows how utterly rotten to the core US political discourse has come. All I have to say is that Obama deserves credit for refusing to apologise about anything in relation to this matter. Fucking Republicans.

[Dragon Angel]

It just gets even better...

The undisputed winner of Twitter today is Matt Binder, a producer at Majority FM who has spend untold minutes/hours digging up tweets from conservatives who called for Bowe Bergdahl to be freed ... until he was, and they turned on him.


The feed is full of such things, and Adam Weinstein has already curated some highlights. I'll just point out two from notable people. Here's the account of Shaughn Adeleye, one of the activists who stung NPR in 2011 by posing as a Muslim Brotherhood ally wanting to invest money for favorable coverage.*


And here he is this week.


Here's Charlie Daniels—yes, he of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" fame.


And here he is after the controversy began.


After yesterday's quick "gotcha," in which I compared John McCain's Bergdahl advocacy from February with his current anger at the five-for-one trade, some conservative readers speculated that McCain didn't know the "deserter" charges yet. Why, he'd called Bergdahl a "fighting man!"

But the story of Bergdahl's alleged desertion was no secret in 2012. It was in the subhed (and the story, of course) of Michael Hastings' well-traveled profile of the POW. True, that was just one story, and since Bergdahl's release some of the men who served with him have given much more splashy interviews on cable TV, laying out the ways they thought Bergdahl let them down. Some even suggest that the Taliban's attacks became more accurate after Bergdahl was captured -- hint, hint.


Still. You rarely get to see public opinion lash back so quickly and so tightly connected to an ideological thrust. It's so intense that Bergdahl's hometown is canceling a public homecoming celebration.

UPDATE: The city of Hailey, Idaho has sent reporters an official statement on the cancellation of the homecoming.

Hailey community members who worked during March and April of this year to organize their annual Bring Bowe Back event in Hailey have asked to cancel the event. When the news of Bowe Bergdahl’s release was announced this past Saturday, the organizers joyfully declared that the event would be renamed Bowe is Back, and would become a celebration of family and friends being reunited with their son who was had been held captive in Afganistan for five years.
In the past, the event had been a celebration of support to the family through these many years. National media attention on Hailey and this event has led many across the nation to believe that the event is intended to be a military parade. There is broad interest in this topic, as evidenced by the approximate 100 correspondences per day received by the City of Hailey this week. The organizers and Hailey expect a significant increase in attendance to this event, by people who both want to support or protest against it.
In the interest of public safety, the event will be cancelled. Hailey, a town of 8,000, does not have the infrastructure to support an event of the size this could become.
UPDATE II: After this post went it up, some conservatives branded it as an attempt to shift the storyline from the administration’s mistakes to the reaction of people who had no role in the mistakes. Not my point, since I'm not defending the decision. Rather than parachuting into a story that's being worked hard by defense and military beat reporters, I'm just covering the political impact of the thing. And it's just true that, until Bergdahl was released and more of his fellow soldiers went on the record to criticize his conduct, there was very little conservative criticism of the guy.

Now, it's true that not every conservative weighed in on this. But the conservatives who did generally portrayed the lack of attention to Bergdahl as a signal of White House weakness, just as the circumstances of Bergdahl's handover are now a signal of White House perfidy. Quoting former Rep. Allen West from just seven months ago, in a post about the men "Obama left behind":

Army SGT Bowe Bergdahl [is] still held by the Islamic terrorist Haqqani network, probably in Pakistan, in the same place where Osama Bin Laden was hiding. This past POW/MIA national day of recognition, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reiterated a pledge to secure the young Army NCO being held captive, but have there been any actions? Any time, attention, or even mention from the Commander-in-Chief? Nah, no camera highlights in it for him.
West wasn't advocating for anything like the eventual 5-for-1 trade that Obama agreed to. But in December 2013, it was not hard to find evidence that Bergdahl was captured after "just walking off" his base. Michelle Malkin, who's a more careful reporter than liberals give her credit for, was pointing this out as early as 2009. When I snarked (on Twitter) that conservatives were blaming the media for their own oversight -- they could have just read Michael Hastings's 2012 piece about Bergdahl -- the snark flowed back at me. Of course people didn't read everything about this case, much less if it came from a liberal magazine.

My own conversations with my usual sources -- and a lot of reporting by people with better sources -- suggest that the White House was blindsided by the reaction to Bergdahl's liberation. Susan Rice's insistence that the soldier "served with honor" flew because, well, who was saying otherwise? My only point is that the public opinion on Bergdahl changed so quickly, in ways that previous reporting hinted it might have, that it became a fascinating example of how people pick sides.

*Correction, June 4, 2014: This post originally mispelled Shaughn Adeleye's last name.

There are some embedded tweets in there that I don't know how to replicate in phpBB, so you may want to go to see the original article. Also, that guy has been retweeting some other interesting juxtapositions in his Twitter feed.

[Grumman]

Two of the five men released are allegedly war criminals responsible for killing Afghan minorities by the thousands. Even if Bergdahl is just a regular PFC and didn't desert, the US government should not have been willing to release them if the allegations were true.

Of course, the US government should also never have held them for a decade without trial either, so it's shitty decisions heaped on shitty decisions.

[Purple]

Two of the five men released are allegedly war criminals responsible for killing Afghan minorities by the thousands. Even if Bergdahl is just a regular PFC and didn't desert, the US government should not have been willing to release them if the allegations were true.

Of course, the US government should also never have held them for a decade without trial either, so it's shitty decisions heaped on shitty decisions.

Even ignoring that. You do have to admit that trading 5 for 1 is a rotten deal. Especially if the 5 are high ranking people and the 1 is an infantry sergeant. I think that is actually what these people are outraged about. And it is a reasonable position to hold to some extent.

[Darth Tanner]

Historically the superior power has had to give more in these exchanges... Israel was exchanging thousands of prisoners for individual soldiers or even just the remains of soldiers KIA.

Also if there was any evidence these men had done anything I'm sure they would have been given trials by now.

When this was on the news last night the most poignant fact to me was that when the news was broken to his former unit they responded with silence. Regardless of what actually occurred the media & his former comrades have painted him as a coward and traitor who absconded.

[Grumman]

Even ignoring that. You do have to admit that trading 5 for 1 is a rotten deal. Especially if the 5 are high ranking people and the 1 is an infantry sergeant.

He's only a sergeant because he got lost - he was a PFC when he was captured.

Historically the superior power has had to give more in these exchanges... Israel was exchanging thousands of prisoners for individual soldiers or even just the remains of soldiers KIA.

Killed in action during a kidnapping attempt. So you're not just telling your enemies that they can buy the freedom of men who beat small children to death by kidnapping your soldiers, they don't even have to keep their prisoner in saleable condition.

[Darth Tanner]

Killed in action during a kidnapping attempt. So you're not just telling your enemies that they can buy the freedom of men who beat small children to death by kidnapping your soldiers, they don't even have to keep their prisoner in saleable condition.

You won't find me arguing with a 'don't negotiate with terrorists' argument but the stable door has been firmly blown off its hinges by Israel at this point.

How did he get promoted from being kidnapped?

[Grumman]

How did he get promoted from being kidnapped?

He was promoted in absentia - twice, actually. I don't know the specific reasoning behind why the US army does it this way.

[bobalot]

He's a fucking deserter that should have been left to rot. But since he's being brought home, he should be met by MP's, face a court martial, and then face whatever punishment the UCMJ dictates for deserting ones post during wartime.

I have never seen the like of such edgy bravery on the internet before.

[Darth Tanner]

From doing some reading it appears quite a common policy to promote soldiers during their abduction... both Israel and Columbia have done so. I would love to hear a reason for this if any of our military members know... is it just compensation for hardships endured?

[Venator]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/17/afghan ... d.soldier/

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStor ... d-23981846

A couple of articles seem to indicate that captured troops get automatic promotions that they would have done if their career had progressed as expected.

Dempsey said Bergdahl's next promotion to staff sergeant, which was to happen soon, is no longer automatic because the soldier is no longer missing in action and job performance is now taken into account.

[Borgholio]

I see many people talking about freeing war criminals in exchange for a soldier. In an actual, declared war...this would be a POW exchange which is nothing out of the ordinary. Does the fact that this isn't an actual war and is more of a global police action make that much of a difference?

[Grumman]

I see many people talking about freeing war criminals in exchange for a soldier. In an actual, declared war...this would be a POW exchange which is nothing out of the ordinary.

You are incorrect. Bergdahl is a conventional POW - a soldier fighting for the other side - and is the sort that would be released in a POW exchange. Fazl and Noori are allegedly war criminals and not just POWs, and as such would not be exchanged so freely, any more than we would have released Rudolf Hoss after his capture after World War II.

[Zaune]

Either way, if the guy was AWOL at the time of capture, I expect there's ample legal precedent for calling it time served.

[Patroklos]

He is ours regardless of his crimes. There is precedent of us conducting prisoner exchanges (at the end of a war, however) and then charging and executing some that we get back.

I have no problem with some effort being made to get him back, I have issues with the trade me made and the false pretenses it was made under. From the very beginning the military lied in a very Tillmanesqe way about him falling behind on a patrol when everyone knew this wasn't the case. This is partially what led to the quite robust efforts to get him back in the days after his disappearance, his rescuers though he was captured in action. There are still admin types quoting this patrol story. The circumstances of one's capture very much should dictate the level of effort we put forth in getting someone back. It should never approach zero, but the value is not constant.

The whole "failing health" thing also strikes me as contrived, nothing about the situation points to anything changing between now and a year ago. This was used to create a narrative of immediacy and I have no idea what the actual motive was to so, though the internet is rife with speculation on this.

Finally we had the rose garden fiasco that pretty much blows up any denial that the White House had any intention but to anoint this guy as Captain America returns. I am not a fan of making specticals of this sort of thing anyway (regardless of who is doing it), but there is no way the admin didn't know this guy was damaged goods well before, they had every intention of white washing it for political purposes. And it wasn't a crime of omission either, they happily lied to all of our faces about the being captured on patrol up to the day of and after.

And we promote while a POW at normal career progression because we feel the soldier should not be punished by the fact that he was captured, and I don't think you can hold up a promotion without some sort of NJP or CM while keeping them in an active status. If you think about it the promotion also affects things like benefits to their family, things like housing allowances increase with rank. It strikes me as fare to cout one's POW service as exactly that, service, and if it is being served honorably it should be rewarded (and retroactively punished if not served honorably). Also, some of these POWs decide to remain in the service after their confinement so this keeps them with their peers. This doesn't always work up though because even if they are the rank they would have been they don't necessarily have the qualifications and experience in their technical specialty of their peers, but I see no problem in letting them attempt to step up.

[Irbis]

You are incorrect. Bergdahl is a conventional POW - a soldier fighting for the other side - and is the sort that would be released in a POW exchange. Fazl and Noori are allegedly war criminals and not just POWs, and as such would not be exchanged so freely, any more than we would have released Rudolf Hoss after his capture after World War II.

Klaus Barbie, Carl Clauberg, Karl Frenzel, Erich Lachmann, and tens of thousands of others beg to differ. Hell, whole Unit 731 was released and given comfy jobs, complete with accusing Soviet Union and China of spreading lies about these perfect gentlemen

Yes, if they were war criminals, they should have been sentenced but USA had 10 years for that, plus perfect pretext of tarring their enemies with publicized trial, but somehow failed to do so.

[Ziggy Stardust]

He's a fucking deserter that should have been left to rot. But since he's being brought home, he should be met by MP's, face a court martial, and then face whatever punishment the UCMJ dictates for deserting ones post during wartime.

What is it with the knee-jerk hyperbolic reaction to alleged desertion, anyway? I know the military has an obligation to punish deserters, but why do assholes like Laan come out of the woodwork to act like it is as morally repugnant as child molestation? Is it just another manifestation of idiotic armchair general mil-wank RAH AMERICA bullshit?

[Mr Bean]

He's a fucking deserter that should have been left to rot. But since he's being brought home, he should be met by MP's, face a court martial, and then face whatever punishment the UCMJ dictates for deserting ones post during wartime.

What is it with the knee-jerk hyperbolic reaction to alleged desertion, anyway? I know the military has an obligation to punish deserters, but why do assholes like Laan come out of the woodwork to act like it is as morally repugnant as child molestation? Is it just another manifestation of idiotic armchair general mil-wank RAH AMERICA bullshit?

Several of his fellows soldiers died on the search parties looking for him.
So if he was AWOL trying to score weed or trying to defect there are naturally hard feelings about the whole affair.

[Patroklos]

What is it with the knee-jerk hyperbolic reaction to alleged desertion, anyway? I know the military has an obligation to punish deserters, but why do assholes like Laan come out of the woodwork to act like it is as morally repugnant as child molestation? Is it just another manifestation of idiotic armchair general mil-wank RAH AMERICA bullshit?

It’s a pretty basic tenant of the martial community that you have to be present, if not for the cause then for the person standing to your right and left. Even if you agree with the cause in lofty thought land most don't want to be in the specific circumstances they are in, in this case a lonely outpost in the middle of nowhere with zero creature comforts and an unseen enemy on all sides. Everyone wants to be somewhere else, the best way for everyone to remain as safe as possible is for everyone to overcome such thoughts and do their job.

So while it is a military wide crime, it is also a very specific personal betrayal for those close to it and one most who have served or have family who are serving can very easily sympathize with. And it’s not like anyone has the unwilling draftee thing to hide behind either. This is not some American specific concept.