And I say that in a nice way. Seriously. What has happened to us? When did we decide to let conspiracies and paranoia overrule sense and sensibility? Although we’ve seen glimpses of this new mentality amongst Republicans over the last few years, nothing drives home the point better than the reaction to the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Here are a few examples.
- Bowe Bergdahl’s Father Gets Death Threats
- Politicians deleted tweets celebrating Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release
- Father of Deserter Bowe Bergdahl Claims the White House for Islam
- Obama smiles at Bob Bergdahl’s “Allah the most merciful” phrase
- Did anyone else find this a little bizarre (implies Obama flirted with Bergdahl’s mom)
Death threats? For wanting your son home? Politicians reversing course because they might lose a few votes if they are happy an American POW returned home? ‘Claiming’ the White House for Islam? Wow, I should walk into the Texas Democratic Party headquarters and ‘claim’ it for Republicans! OMG! Obama smiled at the mention of Allah! Scandal! In the few seconds it took to walk to the microphone in the Rose Garden, Obama tried to put the move on Bergdahl’s mom! Such a stud! Oh wait…I thought he was a pansy?
I find these examples of extremism by Republicans disgusting. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Bergdahl, he is in fact an American citizen and was an American POW. Was he a deserter? The anecdotal evidence sure points that way. But it doesn’t change those two basic facts. And Americans do not leave Americans behind.
Krauthammer has a decent take on the whole matter without being over-the-top ridiculous. Hannity, Beck, Kelly, and the rest of us should follow his lead.
He isn’t a deserter, he’s defector.
Where is the evidence that Republicans are responsible for all of these reports, or the actions behind the reports? I am not saying that Republicans are always better than Democrats, but seriously, why are the Republicans to blame for these reports.
As far as “Conspiracies”, Conspiracies EXIST…I think you meant “Conspiracy THEORIES”.
One more comment, if people do not question what is happening in this world, we will never find out the truth! But the main thing is, why would you blame Republicans for all of these reports or actions?
Bush who started the wars with lies is More than enough evidence that solely Republicans should be held accountable for all this mess PERIOD!!!!!!!!
Beyond all reasonable doubt It appears that Bergdahl is a deserter (voluntarily left his post), and he may be a defector (joined the enemy). He wouldn’t be considered a POW unless he was captured while serving his country. Jerry Patterson LtCol USMCR ret.
David,
Bergdahl was not a Prisoner Of War (the Pentagon never listed him as such). He was a deserter and maybe also a collaborator. In earlier wars he would have been shot upon capture. Now he should be court martialed so that the whole truth can come out.
America is a land of volunteers, for the most part, and the U.S. Army today is all-volunteer, with no draftees. So it is doubly jarring when a soldier abandons his comrades and his country, of his own free volition, and joins up with a side that is committed to the destruction of America and the freedom it stands for.
Death threats and the like should be avoided, but many people have justification for outrage at this exchange, especially the families of soldiers killed or wounded as a result of Bergdahl’s desertion. These casualties occurred when his fellow soldiers went looking for him, and may have been made worse by his collaboration with the enemy, by giving away American positions, tactics and such.
In bringing back Bergdahl, President Obama was bringing back his father – – a man who abandoned his wife and son, and who reviled America. This is the sort of thing that happens when we have a President who does not love America, and wants to fundamentally transform it.
Wow. It’s becoming less difficult to be to the left of the center line proscribed by “new mentality” Republicans.
Connect the dots people! This is all part of Obummer’s nefarious master plan to steal our guns, burn our Bibles, and force us to marry gay illegal aliens.
I think congress should investigate the numerous smoking gun connections between Bergdahl, Benghazi, and Monica Lewinski.
It’s becoming nauseaous to hear from Republicans and their anti-gay agenda that Obama is to blame for the failures of the republican controlled congress, who investigated bush when he committed multiple crimes against humanity and ignored the warnings of al-qaeda threats? There was no need, he delivered failure when it comes to that, and yes, the Republicans should be held accountable for all this mess we still in, Give them the boot this November!!
I have no idea what motivates/motivated Bergdahl, or what enticed/drove/took him from his post.
Condemning him as a defector/traitor is at best premature.
Some here might recall signing on to an fb or other socmedia site to express support and the hope he would be found whole…but that was then, eh, and this is now.
Grow up, find your inner brains and put them to work.
One of the reasons President Nixon gave for continuing the Vietnam War was to get our POWs back. We did but tens of thousands of Americans died during the continued war from1969-73,
When they got back, several wanted to charge some of the returnees for cooperating with their captors. Allegations of misconduct were made against John McCain., who I consider a true American hero.
In the end, nothing came of the allegations and those who joined the “Peace Committee” and did other thing arguably against the Code of Conduct got on with the rest of their lives.
None of us know enough about Sgt. Bergdahl to know what was going through his mind. None of us know what happened. Let the Army investigate.
And, I am sick of hearing people condemn his father for an e-mail telling the son to follow his conscience. No one knows what he saw but soldiers have an obligation to refuse illegal orders As a lawyer who has represented clients charged with war crimes, I believe soldiers have an obligation both to refuse illegal orders and report crimes committed by others. And, yes, I am a retired U.S. Army judge advocate.
Before we jump to conclusions, maybe we ought to know 1) what happened and 2) Sgt. Bergdahl’s mental state and reasons for doing whatever he did.
As for the comment that he was not a POW, legally that is wrong. The Taliban was the government of Afghanistan when we invaded and the Geneva Conventions apply. Bergdahl meets the definition of prisonerof war in the Geneva Convention Relative to Prisoners of War.
On the other hand, that means that many if not all of the Taliban prisoners we take are POWs too. The same definitions apply. For anyone who is curious, the full definition is in Article 4 of the Geneva Convention and it is available online.
Good question Mr. Jolly! You get the idea they want to leave poor old Sergeant Bergdahl to the whims of the Taliban. Do they realize how they sound? I thought American soldiers would not even leave their dead.
It really is shocking. I think the Republican Party is having a mental breakdown.
Krauthammer must be have split personalities. The man of the written word who once won a Pulitzer Prize and the ridiculous, over-made-up windbag pundit gasping for air on Fox News.
Glad to see the man of the written word is still in there somewhere and he lets him out on occasion.