Posted on 06/03/2014 12:23:24 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Taliban prisoner swap for Bowe Bergdahl might do some good, but fear and anger are getting in the way of a realistic appraisal.
Richard Hofstadter opened his 1968 essay, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," with this line: "American politics has often been an arena for angry minds."
He continues, "Behind this I believe there is a style of mind that is far from new and that is not necessarily right-wing. I call it the paranoid style simply because no other word adequately evokes the sense of heated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy that I have in mind."
One wonders what Mr. Hofstadter would have to say about the great gnashing of teeth and anger today over President Barack Obama's prisoner swap for US soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Lurking behind this is not just disagreement with the decision – to release five men, four of them very senior Taliban leaders at the time of their detention in 2001, in exchange for the army sergeant – but a seemingly deep-seated belief that Obama is unpatriotic, more interested in helping American enemies than helping America.
Lending to the outrage is credible evidence that Bergdahl, an odd duck who had grown to hate the war according to people who served with him, deliberately walked off post before his capture. Nathan Bradley Bethea, who was serving in Afghanistan at time with Bergdahl's unit (the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment) makes it clear that Bergdahl went AWOL from his platoon's small outpost in Paktika Province in an in-depth piece on the events before his capture and how members of his unit, which lost soldiers trying to track him down, feel about the event. Many are understandably angry and consider the man a deserter....
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
“Bergdahl went AWOL”
End of story.
The CSM lost credibility a decade ago.
Darn right Americans are angry
They should be.
Absolutely the most miss-named publication in America!
The people who are angriest are the soldiers who were the closest to the events.
Precisely. “Left” when you do not have leave/permission is going AWOL.
This is the dispersal of the WH talking points yet again. Watch for the same exact language use across the various articles.
It’s not paranoia if they are out to get you!
Was this “Going After Cacciato” moment in fact a desertion, a desire to join up with the Taliban? Or was it simply an absence without leave, a lesser crime? That’s for the military justice system to work out.
isnt being AWOL in the battlefield DESERTION>???
We forget that the Taliban supported Osama Bin Laden and assisted him in the deaths of Americans during 9/11.
“but a seemingly deep-seated belief that Obama is unpatriotic, more interested in helping American enemies than helping America.”
Uh yeh that too.
The CSM holds all the stature and truthfulness of Scientology Today.
Exactly. Because they witness the results of his actions.
Those who should be angriest are the families of those soldiers who were ambushed and killed while they searched for this deserter. The men in his unit think he gave the Taliban information that helped them plan the ambushes.
This needs to be thoroughly investigated and should it prove to be true, he deserves the death penalty.
"Jenna Lee ✔ @Jennafnc Follow Great reporting from @JenGriffinFNC - new report: Berghdal left behind a note renouncing American citizenship...developing... 9:43 AM - 3 Jun 2014"
We traded 5 enemy for a traitor?
WTF?!!
How could anyone get the idea that Obama hates America? Other than releasing five of the most dangerous mass-murderer/terrorists in the world, adding $7T to our national debt, socializing 16% of the American economy, shipping weapons to Mexican drug dealers and Islamic terrorists while disarming patriotic Americans, overthrowing stable Arab governments to put more radical extremists in power, creating gay "marriage", systematically undermining the rule of law, nominating the two worst Supreme Court Justices in history, destroying enough jobs to hold the economy in the longest recession in four generations, promoting a fresh surge of illegals, losing two wars that we were winning, and dismantling our military, what has he done that might call his competence and patriotism into question?
Ummmm...that's because he IS more interested in helping our enemies!
I saw Homeland on Showtime...
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