The Bergdahl Story

Discussion in 'The Thunderdome' started by IP, Jun 2, 2014.

  1. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    Thoughts?

    Is he a hero or deserter?

    Did Obama mess up by agreeing to an exchange?



    I think negotiating a hostage exchange with a terrorist organization is a terrible mistake.
     
  2. Joseph Brant

    Joseph Brant Airbrush Aficionado

    Deserter. Bad move negotiating. Calculated move to push VA coverage to page 3 of the papers
     
  3. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    I agree
     
  4. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    Taliban commander is calling the exchange a victory. It seems so to me.
     
  5. fl0at_

    fl0at_ Humorless, asinine, joyless pr*ck

    Eyes in the sky watched that whole trade off.

    Will be a drone strike leaving "145 dead in Pakistan" in about 2 weeks.
     
  6. smokysbark

    smokysbark Chieftain

    He is a deserter. I have no respect for the man.

    That said, I won't comment on whether Obama made a mistake or not. I'm sure that there are a multitude of facts that we aren't aware of in the exchange. He may be trying to lay the groundwork for some kind of future peace negotiations.
     
  7. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    I have no real desire for peace with the Taliban. They thought it a good move to allow Al Qaeda a platform to attack us. They are reprehensible in their treatment of humans who are not like them. They can live in fear of drone strikes until they renounce their organization completely, so far as I am concerned.
     
  8. smokysbark

    smokysbark Chieftain

    I agree completely. I just have no other explanation for why this exchange would have taken place. It would be nice if Float's explanation was the reason ... but I seriously doubt that there is enough balls to make that happen.
     
  9. Joseph Brant

    Joseph Brant Airbrush Aficionado

    Any "peace" in Afghanistan will be an exact replay of the aftermath of the Paris accords, where we leave, and the puppet state we created will be abandoned, overrun, and those that supported us will be slaughtered. And we will collectively shrug and move on. The occupation was a foolish endeavor from the start.
     
  10. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    I hope this happens
     
  11. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    +1
     
  12. smokysbark

    smokysbark Chieftain

    I'm leaving for a sixth rotation in November. The Ace of Spades is dead so, at this point, what is the point? Whether it's peace or total imposion due to us simply walking away is of no concern to me anymore. I'm just tired.
     
  13. XXROCKYTOPXX

    XXROCKYTOPXX Chieftain

    If the information floating around is true then he would certainly be a deserter. Either way, I strongly disagree with the exchange made to get him back.
     
  14. droski

    droski Traffic Criminal

    not enough info out there to really know, but you'd hope there would have been a better way to do this.
     
  15. wildnkrazykat

    wildnkrazykat Well-Known Member

    I have questions and opinions, but I've never been in combat so idk if I have the right to question or chime in. There is so much "stuff" floating around now about emails, and tweets and this and that and the other and the reported content on there does make me uneasy about all of this.
     
  16. Joseph Brant

    Joseph Brant Airbrush Aficionado

    No doubt. We should've stuck to killing the guys we were looking for and going home. We jumped with both feet without setting a finish line.
     
  17. warhammer

    warhammer Chieftain

    I won't judge him. I wasn't there, but I'd say the exchange rate was pitiful if I look at it coldly. The whole notion of negotiating with terrorists is flawed if you are doing it in honestly.
     
  18. lumberjack4

    lumberjack4 Chieftain

    If he really was a deserter like the reports make out, we should have left his ass in whatever hole he was put in.
     
  19. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    We are in precise agreement.
     
  20. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    I don't think we should have abandoned him, but we should never have traded for him. If I were captured, I'd rather they go in guns-blazing and if I die in the attempt to get me so be it. I wouldn't want to be a bargaining chip to release dangerous men any more than I would want to rot in captivity.

    But if he is in fact a deserter he needs to spend a little time in good ole American captivity. It is a volunteer military, he agreed to serve.
     

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