While Americans were busy with the weekend, a hopelessly corrupt Obama administration did a Saturday news dump that can be summed up in one succinct phrase: America now negotiates with terrorists. Five high-level Taliban thugs were swapped for American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been held by the Taliban for several years. And as sure as night follows day, the rule of law was once again kicked to the curb in the process. Current law requires the Secretary of Defense to notify Congress 30 days prior to any prisoner transfer. Moreover, they must provide Congress with the reasons for doing so, along with assurances that those released will be incapable of resuming activities that could endanger the United States and its interests. This law was enacted at the end of last year, replacing one that was even stricter. When Obama signed it, he contended it was an unconstitutional infringement on his power as as commander in chief, and that he could override it, if necessary. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel took a different tack. “We believed that the information we had, the intelligence we had, was such that Sgt. Bergdahl’s safety and health were both in jeopardy and in particular his health deteriorating,” Hagel told reports en route to Bagram Air Field. “It was our judgement that if we could find an opening and move very quickly with that opening, that we needed to get him out of there essentially to save his life.” Move quickly. Find an opening. Save a life. While I’m glad for Bergdahl and his family, who is Hagel kidding? Or the president too, for that matter? Try this from Obama. “Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield,” the president contended in a White House press release. Really? Try getting that despicable whopper past the families of Ambassador Chris Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith and Navy SEALs, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. No one has ever disputed the fact the Woods and Doherty were killed by mortar fire in the midst of painting those mortars with a laser. Somehow the significance of that has been lost: one paints a target – at considerable risk, since it gives away one’s position – in anticipation of air support. That would be air support that never came, buttressed by the feeble excuse offered by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who contended that “you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on; without having some real-time information about what’s taking place.” Apparently radio contact with forces on the ground, as well as visual contact provided by drones – for more than six hours prior to these heroes getting killed – was insufficient reason to exercise America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 15:26:34 +0000