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Obama Official: Bergdahl Worthy of Sympathy if Joined Taliban to Protest Platoon Leaders
Thursday, June 5, 2014 | Kristinn

Posted on 06/04/2014 9:29:41 PM PDT by kristinn

An Obama administration official has floated the idea that Bowe Bergdahl was justified in deserting his platoon in Afghanistan and joining the Taliban over disagreements with the platoon's leadership.

Brandon Friedman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a series of tweets Wednesday evening in which he speculated that Bergdahl deserted over bad leadership of his platoon and that is why his fellow soldiers were smearing him.

"Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership? (1/5)"

" What if he grew disillusioned with what he saw, didn't trust his leadership, and walked off? Legal? No. Worthy of sympathy? Maybe. (2/5)"

" If that were the case, the soldiers in his platoon would have all the more reason to smear him publicly now. (3/5)"

" Given other examples, it's not out of the realm of possibility--and more reason to withhold judgment until after an investigation. (4/5)"

" I'm not a fan of such speculation, but this story could not be more unbalanced--with so many premature calls of "traitor." (5/5)"

Friedman's Wikipedia page says he is a decorated war veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is a veteran of the Democratic Party front group VoteVets. He joined the Obama administration in 2009 at the Veterans Administration. He left in 2012 and rejoined the administration in 2014 at HUD.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; antiamericanism; berdahl; bergdahl; bergdahltruthfile; bowebergdahl; brandonfriedman; classicthreads; defector; deserter; deserting; dnctalkingpoints; freerepublic; friedmantweets; frinthenews; hud; insanity; obama; obamaforeignpolicy; obamalegacy; obamaquotes; obamascandals; playthevictim; prodeserter; publicaffairs; stalinisttactics; swiftboating; swine; taliban; tweets; twitter; unamericanactivities; usefulidiot; victory; votevets; warcrimes; waronerror; warpspeedbackpedal; worstpresidentever; yellowjournalism
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To: kristinn

The guy is a legit combat vet, and a damn good writer. He now is a PR man with a vested interest in the Obama Regime.

He’s made his mark with his “cynical” view of of the US military and the war in Iraq.

He’s entitled to his opinion. He could be right, everybody else in that unit might be covering for “bad leadership”, because NCOs and rank and file soldiers are well known for slavish devotion to lousy shavetails and Captains, even long after they get out.

Bergdahl may have been playing badminton while a prisoner instead of getting his fingers cut off because his captors were sympathetic to his issues with bad platoon or company leadership.

Monkeys might also fly out of my butt at any moment.


41 posted on 06/04/2014 9:49:54 PM PDT by M1911A1
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To: Billthedrill

pretty incredible . Like they FORGOT 9-11!!


42 posted on 06/04/2014 9:50:26 PM PDT by 4Liberty (Optimal institutions - optimal economy.)
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To: M1911A1

I was starting to worry about you there.


43 posted on 06/04/2014 9:50:55 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: kristinn

Maybe, just maybe, Bergdahl deserted in 2009 to protest the new Commander in Chief


44 posted on 06/04/2014 9:51:00 PM PDT by digger48
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To: kristinn
"Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership?

Oh hell no. The rest of his platoon were "psychopaths"? Again, oh hell no, some of them have spoken out and NONE of them come across as anything but straight-up and honest.

And I am tired of this admin's use of insulting-but-wannabe-cool-jargon like "Jump-to-Conclusions mats."

45 posted on 06/04/2014 9:51:40 PM PDT by KJC1 (When you are dealing with the devil, the only answer is God.)
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To: Vince Ferrer

I think we should just pay reparations to any relatives of Pvt. Eddie Slovik, and maybe toss in a posthumous Medal of Honor as well. I mean, why not?! /SARCASM


46 posted on 06/04/2014 9:52:15 PM PDT by Frank_2001
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To: kristinn
The simple reply to this disgusting innuendo is "Well, sir, do you have any indication, any evidence, any testimony that the platoon leaders were psychopaths? If so, please detail it for us. If not, it's a pretty ugly suggestion, isn't it?"
47 posted on 06/04/2014 9:53:30 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: kristinn

This guy is not a deserter - he is a DEFECTOR. Huge difference for anyone who knows the difference, and apparently that hasn’t been discovered yet in the Clown Administration. You get the Government you elect - keep that in mind “kiddies”.


48 posted on 06/04/2014 9:54:51 PM PDT by Cheerio (Barry Hussein Soetoro-0bama=The Complete Destruction of American Capitalism)
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To: WildHighlander57

Oops I didn’t read downthread far enough...

Glad they got saved.


49 posted on 06/04/2014 9:54:55 PM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57, returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: KJC1
insulting-but-wannabe-cool-jargon like "Jump-to-Conclusions mats."

"I believe you'd get your ass kicked saying something like that, man."

50 posted on 06/04/2014 9:55:42 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: kristinn; txhurl; kevao; Oztrich Boy; entropy12; Michael.SF.; Jet Jaguar; Billthedrill; ...

More of the same here:

Hating on Bowe Bergdahl
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2014/06/03/hating-on-bowe-bergdahl/


51 posted on 06/04/2014 9:56:34 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2Million USD for Cruz and/or Palin's next run, what will you do?)
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To: kristinn

Nice job.


52 posted on 06/04/2014 9:57:06 PM PDT by InterceptPoint
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To: kristinn; StarFan; Dutchy; alisasny; BobFromNJ; BUNNY2003; Cacique; Clemenza; Coleus; cyborg; ...
WHAT the....?!

Boston conservative radio talk show host Howie Carr said this week that Bowe Bergdahl should just say he's gay, claim he was bullied by his fellow troops in Afghanistan and ran off. In today's Amerika, that would put him in a protected class, thus garnering all kinds of sympathy.

*barf*

53 posted on 06/04/2014 9:57:43 PM PDT by nutmeg (ObamaCare: Yet another disaster brought to you by the democRATic party)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

That idiot isn’t an 0bama admin official. And Bergdahl isn’t the one I hate.


54 posted on 06/04/2014 9:58:24 PM PDT by TigersEye ("No man left behind" means something different to 0bama.)
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To: Frank_2001

His quote on Wiki:

In the US army you are cut down for being honest... but if you are a conceited brown nosing shit bag you will be allowed to do what ever you want, and you will be handed your higher rank... The system is wrong. I am ashamed to be an american. And the title of US soldier is just the lie of fools...I am sorry for everything here. These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid, that they have no idea how to live. We don’t even care when we hear each other talk about running their children down in the dirt streets with our armored trucks... We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them...I am sorry for everything. The horror that is america is disgusting...There are a few more boxes coming to you guys. Feel free to open them, and use them.


55 posted on 06/04/2014 9:58:47 PM PDT by txhurl (Trump/Cruz '16, and everybody else for Cabinet members.)
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To: Cheerio; kristinn

Bergdahl aided and abetted the enemy in time of war.

And caused the deaths of American soldiers.

Last I checked, its TREASON.


56 posted on 06/04/2014 9:58:59 PM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57, returning after lurking since 2000)
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To: nutmeg

That is the kind of troop Obama can approve.


57 posted on 06/04/2014 10:00:44 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Resist in place.)
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To: kristinn

snip—”As we all know, LTC Terry Lakin was an 18 year fully decorated officer who had the lofty career achievement of having served as the chief Flight Surgeon to General George Casey during the Iraq war.

When Terry decided that he had an obligation as an officer to question the legitimacy of his orders to report to Afghanistan, he was court martialed and sentenced to 6 months in prison at Ft. Leavenworth, a sentence which he served.”
http://www.birtherreport.com/2014/06/real-pow-will-there-be-justice.html

Contrast and compare, shall we??????????


58 posted on 06/04/2014 10:02:35 PM PDT by Mortrey (Impeach President Soros)
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To: morphing libertarian
what country are these people from?

More like, "what planet are they from?" Because it certainly isn't Planet Here...

the infowarrior

59 posted on 06/04/2014 10:02:57 PM PDT by infowarrior
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To: willywill; All

Bradley Manning comes to mind. He saw killings that just didn’t seem legal. In addition he had an abusive childhood and other problems. What kind of idiocy in the command structure allowed him to be placed in the kind of job he had?


60 posted on 06/04/2014 10:03:13 PM PDT by gleeaikin
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