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Obama: ‘Absolutely no apologies’ (Bergdahl)
The Hill ^ | June 5, 2014 | Justin Sink

Posted on 06/05/2014 8:52:28 AM PDT by maggief

President Obama said Thursday he would make “absolutely no apologies” for ordering the controversial prisoner swap to rescue Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last American prisoner of war in Afghanistan.

Obama said he was never surprised by “controversies that are whipped up in Washington,” but deflected criticism from members of Congress and the military over the trade of five Guantanamo prisoners for Bergdahl, who has been accused of abandoning his post in Afghanistan before his capture.

“I make absolutely no apologies for making sure we get back a young man to his parents,” Obama said at a joint press conference with in Brussels with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Obama said he had “discussed with Congress that something like this could occur” and reiterated that his administration had pressing concerns about the health and safety of Bergdahl.

“With the fragile nature of these negotiations, we felt like it was important to go ahead and do what we did,” he said.

Obama reiterated that no matter what the allegations surrounding Bergdahl's conduct, the U.S. had a “basic principle” that they “do not leave anybody wearing the American uniform behind.”

“The American people understand this is somebody's child and that we don't condition whether or not we make the effort to get someone back,” Obama said.

The president also defended the decision to appear alongside Bergdahl's parents during an announcement of the deal on Saturday. Some have argued that decision elevated the soldier's profiles and invited the tougher examination of his conduct on the battlefield.

But Obama said he felt it was important to humanize the decision, and said he wrote "too many letters" to parents whose children don't return from war.

“I think it was important to understand this is not some abstraction, not some political football,” Obama said.

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bergdahl
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To: pgkdan
OK--he was somebody's son.

But--dear leader--so was every soldier who died because that son of a Bergdahl walked away from his post.

21 posted on 06/05/2014 9:15:32 AM PDT by milagro (There is no peace in appeasement!)
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To: Georgia Girl 2

Our country is being led by a despotic traitor who should be considered lower than even our greatest foreign enemies. He is much more dangerous to this country than Putin, the Taliban, and Al Queda combined.


22 posted on 06/05/2014 9:17:39 AM PDT by ohioman
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To: maggief

Is Bergdahl gay? That might explain why Obama cares about him when he has no interest in the well being of our other service people or veterans.


23 posted on 06/05/2014 9:25:06 AM PDT by pallis
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To: Starstruck
Who knows how many other soldiers died because of the aid Bergdahl gave to the enemy.

Last night the administration's supporters were trying to claim that there was no way to prove that the 8 who died died because they were hunting for Bergdahl. If the facts are against you, try to obfuscate until the public is too confused to follow the story.

Obama is trying to signal to the media to get back on board and defend him...they have been largely AWOL the last few days on this story.

24 posted on 06/05/2014 9:25:23 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Starstruck
Who knows how many other soldiers died because of the aid Bergdahl gave to the enemy.

Last night the administration's supporters were trying to claim that there was no way to prove that the 8 who died died because they were hunting for Bergdahl. If the facts are against you, try to obfuscate until the public is too confused to follow the story.

Obama is trying to signal to the media to get back on board and defend him...they have been largely AWOL the last few days on this story.

25 posted on 06/05/2014 9:25:23 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: nikos1121
Problem is it back fired showing that absolutely no one in the WH has a clue of what military life is about.

Not just that, but when the attempt to show that he's pro-military backfires, the first thing he does is slander the military to protect his own backside. That just goes to show that he always had contempt for the military, and they were just pawns for his own self-aggrandizement.

-PJ

26 posted on 06/05/2014 9:25:53 AM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: maggief

“I will stand with the muslims....”


27 posted on 06/05/2014 9:26:54 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: maggief

Really....with all that he has done, why would he start apologizing now? It will never happen...


28 posted on 06/05/2014 9:26:59 AM PDT by BookmanTheJanitor
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To: Mastador1
Well success herr zero! You have stepped into an even bigger pile of feces.

Any practical reason he should care?

29 posted on 06/05/2014 9:29:06 AM PDT by BlatherNaut
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To: wideawake

Those that died because OBAMA failed to act in Benghazi all belonged to FAMILIES TOO !!! DUH!!!!


30 posted on 06/05/2014 9:30:18 AM PDT by pollywog ("O Thou who changest not, abide with me.".......)
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To: maggief

He’s as crazy as Nero.


31 posted on 06/05/2014 9:31:01 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: BookmanTheJanitor

Question is: When will Obozo cut his losses and throw Bergdahl under the bus?


32 posted on 06/05/2014 9:31:17 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: maggief

Caught with his hands in the islamist candy bowl, he doubles down.

We may as well have it out here and now.

IMPEACH THIS SOB!!!!


33 posted on 06/05/2014 9:31:47 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: pallis

A ‘learned’ behavior.


34 posted on 06/05/2014 9:34:15 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: maggief

The first news reports on this deserting asshole back in 2009 noted that he had walked away from his battlefield posting and had left a note indicating his reasons. This part of the narrative disappeared quickly at about the same time the troops in the field who knew him or were searching for him were required to sign NDAs to shut them up.

This was all known back then and widely published. The idea that this information is new is unbelievable. If there was a real american administration in place we would have let him rot and tried him in absentia. He is not worth the lives of all those who died trying to find his worthless ass.

He should be dragged back to his hometown and summarily executed.

Screw the kenyan liar and entire administration.


35 posted on 06/05/2014 9:34:58 AM PDT by RJS1950 (The democrats are the "enemies foreign and domestic" cited in the federal oath)
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To: onedoug

He is standing with the muslims.

He traded 5 muslim monsters for one convert.

If the Marine held in Mexico was a alla type, he would have been freed weeks ago.

He is standing with his homies.


36 posted on 06/05/2014 9:38:31 AM PDT by Texas resident (The democrat party is now the CPUSA)
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To: maggief
Obama: “I make absolutely no apologies for making sure we get back a young man to his parents"

Do you make any apologies to Barbara Doherty on why you abandoned her son to die in Libya?


37 posted on 06/05/2014 9:40:47 AM PDT by Hoodat (Democrats - Opposing Equal Protection since 1828)
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To: maggief

“...this is somebody’s child ...”

Kermit Gosnell was somebody’s child. Well, Satan’s, but I guess that counts?


38 posted on 06/05/2014 9:42:13 AM PDT by beelzepug (You can't fix a broken washing machine by washing more expensive clothes in it.)
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To: BlatherNaut

Oh, he doesn’t care, I think it makes him happy because every time he steps in a big pile he ends up splattering it all over the American people. So in the end he’s probably happy.


39 posted on 06/05/2014 9:43:40 AM PDT by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: Hoodat
Did you offer any apologies to Charles Woods on why no help was sent when his son was defending civilians against an armed terrorist attack orchestrated by the exact same type of people you just freed from Gitmo?


40 posted on 06/05/2014 9:45:02 AM PDT by Hoodat (Democrats - Opposing Equal Protection since 1828)
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