Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 8:33:16 AM

So now we learn that we released five terrorists hand picked by the Taliban to recover a deserter and likely traitor.  And don't tell me dear leader didn't know the unusual and suspicious nature of his capture.  Everyone knew it when the deal was announced.  In his maniacal desire to close Guantanamo he sent five terrorists back into the fight for a deserter.  That is probably the most disgusting thing he has ever done as president.......which is saying a lot.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 8:56:01 AM

I am deeply suspicious of the motivations and true identity of the person who is our current President.  If one knew nothing about his background and professed religious faith and only had his actions on which to form an opinion, one would deduce that he is a Muslim hell bent on taking down the USA and destroying our way of life.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 9:47:31 AM

As much as I would like to be able to take the president at his word that he is a Christian, his actions sure don't support his words.  I do think based on his actions that he does not love this country the way it was when he was elected and is hell bent on changing it for the worse.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 11:36:04 AM

I'm sure you realize that a lot of the prisoners we held at Guantanemo were never proved to have ties to terrorism?  If I recall correctly, the 5 that were traded were very low risk, and ended up in South America.  As far as Bergdhal, I am happy we traded and that he is being charged as the traitor he is.  I'd like to see him put to death, but more than likely, he will get a plea deal. 

If you want to be disgusted by something, get disgusted with our justice system.  Get disgusted by a system that allowed the Major turned radical extremist that shot those soldiers at Ft Hood, to continue to be paid for the run up to his trial.  Why hasn't he been put to death? 

Having Guantanemo was a bad idea from the beginning.  I don't blame Obama for wanting to shut it down, since we can't seem to figure out how to try the people that we are holding.  And we can't hold them forever. 

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 12:02:34 PM

As I understand from the news reports at the time, the five were selected by the Taliban and that at least three of them are trying to get back in the fight.  According to the Pentagon dossier for the five they were all considered high risk and I find it very hard to believe the Taliban would be asking for anything other than high profile is beyond believable.  Here is a summary of three of the worst of them right from the Pentagon dossier leaked by Wikileaks:

"According to the 2008 Pentagon’s dossier on Fazl disclosed by Wikileaks, Noori also was a senior Taliban military figure and, according to his Pentagon dossier, was asked personally in 1995 by Osama bin Laden to participate in an offensive against northern alliance warlord Rashid Dostum. Wasiq, a former deputy minister of intelligence, at one point tried to cooperate with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and asked for a GPS system as well as a special radio to communicate with the U.S. military after the U.S. invasion in 2001. His dossier says that he was a crucial liaison between the Taliban and other Islamic fundamentalist groups while he was deputy intelligence minister. But the 2008 report also said he was holding out information he had on other top al Qaeda and Taliban leaders during interrogations. Khairkhwa, a former Taliban governor of Herat, was considered by the Pentagon’s 2008 dossier to be a likely heroin trafficker. That dossier also says he likely participated in meetings with Iranian officials after 9-11 to help plot attacks on U.S. forces following the invasion."

So no, they were not low profile as reported by the Washington Post and elswhere.  No one, even at time of the exhange called them anything but high level.  I'm sorry but I would have much rather have left Bergdhal where he was to suffer whatever fate he would suffer for his crimes.  We could argue all day long about whether Guantamo was a good idea but to argue that this trade was remotely a good idea stretches credibility.  It was a bad deal and disgusting.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 12:18:49 PM

If that report is correct, then I would have to agree.  It would be nice to know the back story on the exchange and why the Administration thought it was a good idea.  I'd still rather see Bergdhal face a firing squad.  He makes a mockery of those that gave their lives. 

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 12:21:52 PM

They were sent to Qatar not south america and given one year house arrest there, which ends in may.  Tune in to something other than MSNBC and you would also know that we have current Intel on 3 of them reconnecting with terrorist already. MM already schooled you on their level.of threat.

Why can't we keep them in GB forever?  POW's are historically held till the end of conflicts unless traded to enemy for ours.  The difference is every other leader got equitable value when trading prisoners. Let them rot in GB until such time as they burn in hell is my opinion.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 12:30:25 PM

As you might have surmised I am no fan of our current president.....OK, you can stop guffawing now........but I really think he realized that politically he could not close GB so his backup strategy is to empty it out prisoner by prisoner.  The deal for Bergdhal was an opportunity to release prisoners that no one in their right mind would want to be released.  It is more important to him to get what he wants than to protect our national interests.  <oozing cynacism over>  As for Bergdhal, I agree that if he is found guilty of desertion he deserves the maximum sentence.  At least six soldiers died directly from his desertion and there were reports that IED's became suddenly more effective after he was "captured" by the Taliban leading to speculation that he provided them with valuable intelligence.  All in all this sorry event is a stain on his legacy and one of the many reasons he is so distrusted by the military.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 3:14:19 PM

I know at least one prisoner ended up in Uraguay.  There was an article about him the other day, complaining that he was told he could bring his family there and so far, that has not happened. 

I pretty much believe that whenever we finally leave Afghanistan, it will fall to the Taliban anyway, because the Afghans have no will to fight and could care less about a strong central government, democracy or any other western ideals.  They don't love us, they never will love us no matter what we do, so 4-5 people who are members of the Taliban or Talibani sympathizers aren't going to make much of a different to the outcome.  It's not like we have tried to convert them and are sending them out as our emissaries.  I don't imagine that being stuck in Guantanemo has made them love the U.S.  We have a better chance of killing them if they are fighting again, since we will not try them or execute them while they are under our care.  Anything they might have been able to give us in the way of intelligence is far too old now to be of use. 

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 3:14:22 PM

I know at least one prisoner ended up in Uraguay.  There was an article about him the other day, complaining that he was told he could bring his family there and so far, that has not happened. 

I pretty much believe that whenever we finally leave Afghanistan, it will fall to the Taliban anyway, because the Afghans have no will to fight and could care less about a strong central government, democracy or any other western ideals.  They don't love us, they never will love us no matter what we do, so 4-5 people who are members of the Taliban or Talibani sympathizers aren't going to make much of a different to the outcome.  It's not like we have tried to convert them and are sending them out as our emissaries.  I don't imagine that being stuck in Guantanemo has made them love the U.S.  We have a better chance of killing them if they are fighting again, since we will not try them or execute them while they are under our care.  Anything they might have been able to give us in the way of intelligence is far too old now to be of use. 

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 3:33:21 PM

Some valid points but I prefer them dead to alive.  The bigger point to the swap was the message it sent to radicals world wide.  We gave up five "generals" for one PFC who everyone k ew deserted his post and most likely gave Intel to the enemy.  Bergdahl chose his path, he should have been left to rot in one of their cages IMHO.  Its not he was caught or captured while standing a post or overrun in combat.  He is traitor and I feel he should get the death penalty once convicted.  Since the powers that be took that off the table i hope the inmates at Leavenworth torture and kill him slowly.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 4:58:55 PM

I think the point of Gitmo is to prevent them from killing more Americans.  I could care less about intelligence because as you said, it is useless now anyway.  But considering we had them in custody it seems to me not worth one American life to release them just to have the opportunity to kill them.  I would hate to be related to the one or more persons they kill before we kill them knowing that it would not have happened had they been rotting away in Gitmo.

Name:	h_hob -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 6:08:22 PM

MM, did you clear this with the "Busy Ditch" before you posted it?

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 7:57:04 PM

Spent some time doing some research on the released Gitmo prisoners.  Apparently only one of the former captives has been in contact with former fighters, and this is by phone.  According to the Defense Intelligence Service, they do not consider this meaningful or cause for concern.  The U.S. and the Qatar governments have had them under close surveillance during this past year.  I guess no one knows what will happen once they are out from under house arrest after May. 

Name:	au67 -	Reply
Subject:	Bergdhal the traitor
Date:	3/26/2015 8:31:24 PM

I'm sure they will send out resumes and try to get jobs or at least internships.  Marie Harf says that's the answer to all this terrorism.