My latest on this unfolding disgrace, at FrontPage:
U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl has been charged with desertion for leaving his unit in Afghanistan and joining up with the Taliban. It’s about time. After months of stonewalling as the evidence that Bergdahl was a deserter mounted ever higher, U.S. officials could ignore it no longer.
Much of that evidence has been known for years, and more of it came out last year, when Obama traded five seasoned, battle-hardened jihadis back to the Taliban in exchange for Bergdahl. Former infantry officer Nathan Bradley Bethea, who served with Bergdahl in Afghanistan, wrote in the Daily Beast that Bergdahl was “a deserter, and soldiers from his own unit died trying to track him down.” Refuting reports that Bergdahl got separated from his unit while on patrol, Bethea declared: “Make no mistake: Bergdahl did not ‘lag behind on a patrol,’ as was cited in news reports at the time. There was no patrol that night. Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot. He deserted. I’ve talked to members of Bergdahl’s platoon—including the last Americans to see him before his capture. I’ve reviewed the relevant documents. That’s what happened.”
Bethea’s account is in full accord with the Taliban’s 2010 claim that Bergdahl had converted to Islam and was teaching bomb-making to its jihadists. There is no reason to take anything that Taliban spokesmen say at face value, but secret documents revealed Thursday afternoon corroborate the claim. According to one of these documents, dated August 23, 2012, “conditions for Bergdahl have greatly relaxed since the time of the escape. Bergdahl has converted to Islam and now describes himself as a mujahid. Bergdahl enjoys a modicum of freedom, and engages in target practice with the local mujahedeen, firing AK47s. Bergdahl is even allowed to carry a loaded gun on occasion. Bergdahl plays soccer with his guards and bounds around the pitch like a mad man. He appears to be well and happy, and has a noticeable habit of laughing frequently and saying ‘Salaam’ repeatedly.”The soldier’s father, Robert Bergdahl, also appears to be a convert to Islam, as during the ceremony with Obama in the Rose Garden announcing the exchange, he proclaimed: “Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim” – the phrase, “In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful,” which is the heading of 113 of the Qur’an’s 114 chapters. (Journalist Neil Munro noted in the Daily Caller that “although Bergdahl quoted the Quran verse, the White House transcript did not translate it or even include the Islamic prayer. Instead, the transcript simply said Bergdahl spoke in the Pasho language, which is the language of the Pushtun tribe, which forms the vast majority of the Taliban force. In fact, ‘Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim’ is Arabic.” The lavishly-bearded Robert Bergdahl has also called for the release of the jihadists in Guantanamo and has implied that American troops are killing Afghan children in a tweet he concluded with “ameen,” the Arabic form of “amen.”)
What’s more, an Associated Press report stated that “a Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a former senior defense official who was involved in the matter.” This official said that the evidence that Bergdahl had deserted was “incontrovertible.”
Fox News reported that Bergdahl — “both in his final stretch of active duty in Afghanistan and then, too, during his time when he lived among the Taliban — has been thoroughly investigated by the U.S. intelligence community and is the subject of ‘a major classified file.’ In conveying as much, the Defense Department source confirmed to Fox News that many within the intelligence community harbor serious outstanding concerns not only that Bergdahl may have been a deserter but that he may have been an active collaborator with the enemy.”
Former Army Sgt. Evan Buetow, who served with Bergdahl and was present the night he disappeared, says flatly: “Bergdahl is a deserter, and he’s not a hero. He needs to answer for what he did.” Even worse, Buetow recounted that days after Bergdahl vanished from the U.S. base, there were reports that he was in a nearby village looking for someone who spoke English, so that he could establish communications with the Taliban. Soon afterward, Buetow recalled, “IEDs started going off directly under the trucks. They were getting perfect hits every time. Their ambushes were very calculated, very methodical.”
Bergdahl knew where the trucks would be going and when; said Buetow: “We were incredibly worried” that the Taliban’s “prisoner of war” was passing this information on to his captors in order to help them place their bombs most effectively.
Fox News also reported that according to “sources who had debriefed two former members of Bergdahl’s unit,” the deserter “left behind a note the night he left base in which he expressed disillusionment with the Army and being an American and suggested that he wanted to renounce his American citizenship and go find the Taliban.” According to Colonel David Hunt, Bergdahl even “called his unit the day after he deserted to tell his unit he deserted.”
Barack Obama must have known all or some of this, or should have known it, when he announced the exchange of five Guantanamo detainees for Bergdahl. But he gave no hint of knowing it when he declared that the swap was “a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield.”
It was nonsense, and he must have known it. The desertion charge is a positive step, but there needs to be one more charge as well: treason.
Joseph says
Like I said before, Drop him off to be with his fellow Islamic scum. They most certainly will eliminate him for being a spy from the West.
How ironic would it be for him to be terminated by the religion he loves so much. He wants to die for Islam so let him. Just not on American soil. We don’t need anymore contaminated dirt. One more thing, all those that support him should be sent over too. It would be a shame to waste all that fuel just for one person.
While we are on that subject, any American or immigrant that wants to go over there, let them, we will pay for there airfare, a one way ticket with NO OPTION to return to ANY free soil.
I didn’t say the plane had to touch down and no parachutes either. Just right out the cargo bay doors of a C130.
JamesonRocks says
“The desertion charge is a positive step, but there needs to be one more charge as well: treason.”
Let’s also add aiding and abetting the enemy in time of war. That one carries a possible life term if convicted. Well, that is if he doesn’t get lethal injection. Hmmm…
voytech says
No sir bad idea to expensive. let’s send him to Utah for the first contestant to be on the fireing squad show .
David says
You can add one more to the list and that would be our commander in chief. He has abetted the enemy because he was providing guns and aid to the enemy.thru Turkey. That was the reason they want Benghazi stonewalling. It is a shame that Stevenson got in the way. He was acting on the orders from the WH.
Jay Boo says
Islamic Confrontation
Benghazi — Stand Down
Bowe Bergdahl —Bow to Islam, Beg, Appease and Back Down
mortimer says
The reason for recovering an obvious deserter and obvious traitor is hard to understand. This was not an ordinary prisoner exchange. The reason for it is certainly being hidden. Perhaps they didn’t want Bergdahl to be used as notorious hostage to demoralize American troops. The demoralization is that the military didn’t act to court martial an obvious deserter. I’m betting the defense will plead insanity. People who know nothing about Islam will assume Bergdahl was insane and that it has nothing to do with Islam.
BlueRaven says
Perhaps inadvertedly Obama did us a favor, because Bergdahl will most likely gone get charged for treason, and that ought to be suffiecient for one life time. This saga also questions the credibity of this Administration who is making deals with the enemy.
mortimer says
The press conference with Obama and Bergdahl’s parents seemed completely stage-managed to me. Particulary, Bergdahl’s father appeared to be faking his adherence to Islam to get his son back, though I could be wrong. I assume the intelligence people had an ulterior motive for getting Bergdahl back and the parents worked with the government for strategic national interests that could not be revealed at the time.
Islam is a mental illness.
Wellington says
Want to hear even worse? Here it is: Judge Andrew Napolitano, Senior Judicial Analyst for Fox News (and I can assure everyone that this man knows American law inside and out), said today on this network that he thinks a plea agreement will be how this will be handled because if it went to trial such people as Susan Rice (in my opinion, just about the worst public servant in American history) and Barack Obama (in my opinion,THE worst President in American history) would very likely have to be called as witnesses and, the Judge continued, that is highly unlikely to happen. What will probably happen, Napolitano said, is that Bergdahl will cop a plea and get about 5 years in jail. Yes, only about 5 years. This SOB deserted and betrayed his country and men died looking for the bastard and he’ll only spend some 5 years in jail?
I was disgusted, not with the Judge of course because I deem him a very fine and knowledgeable man, but with the “system.” The “system” often lets very powerful people get away with things that the ordinary American never would. For instance, if an ordinary American had conducted themselves as Hillary Clinton did in Whitewater, Castle Grande, cattle futures trading, et al., they would have gotten major time in jail. As it was, Hillary Clinton paid no penalty at all and now millions of fools think she would make a good President. As I said, disgusted. But perhaps, just perhaps, Bergdahl’s case will go to trial and Rice and Obama will have to be witnesses. Hope so. Unlikely, but I hope so.
RonaldB says
Hello, Wellington,
I don’t see why Obama or Rice would be required as witnesses. They may have brokered the deal to trade Bergdahl, but they had nothing to do with his original desertion, or the military response to it.
Even if the American justice system bent over backwards 100% to ensure that every possible option was explored for a defendant, I don’t see where calling the President or National Security Adviser as witnesses would add to the defense possibilities. Even if President Obama went on national television and declared Bergdahl was a hero and no deserter, he would not be eligible to testify because that is entirely an opinion not substantiated by any personal knowledge or experience concerning Bergdahl. No court is entitled to hear the a person’s opinions of a defendant’s innocence or guilt if the person has no direct knowledge of the crime.
Wellington says
Hi, RonaldB. Hope you’re well.
Judge Napolitano was rather insistent that because Obama and Rice would be called as witnesses it made it less likely that a trial would ensue. I understand your point though too. Perhaps what’s going on here is that Obama and Rice would not be looked upon as people merely providing their opinion but instead would be deemed “expert witnesses.” Honestly not sure though I have come to trust Judge Napolitano’s legal take on legal matters very much so.
gravenimage says
Wellington, there was another Fox News anchor—Megyn Kelly, if I recall correctly—who rightly emphasized this morning that Bergdahl’s desertion was the least of it.
It is not as though he deserted out of cowardice or so he could go see a movie. This wasn’t someone just going AWOL.
This was *going over to the enemy*—and teaching that enemy skills to use to murder us.
Treason is *exactly* what this is.
Wellington says
I think it possible, gravenimage, to argue that any military desertion also constitutues treason, even if done “only” out of cowardice, but certainly in this case it very much smacks of treason no doubt.
gravenimage says
I do agree, Wellington, and I was at pains to emphasize that I am *not* minimizing desertion at all.
But I believe we can both agree that a *deliberate going over to the enemy*—as strongly appears happened here—is many times worse, in the moral sense, if not in legal terms.
Sam says
I am more angry with lefties who elected Obama twice to create this environment where Obama and his budddies do everything against the USA and everything to help our enemies like evil Islam. We still don’t ask Obama what the f*** he was releasing 5 worst enemies of infidels for. This may be the first tiime an American president traits his country and he is still supported by millions. WOW!
Pavelina says
Obama replenished the ranks of the enemy during wartime. If this is not a “high crime”, what is? It’s worse than Nixon’s crime of knowing about the break-in. It means the strong possibility of more of our soldiers being killed in Afghanistan.
lairdKintyre says
He must miss bacha bazi. I bet Bergdahl got passed around like an old dollar bill.
My Shari'a Moor says
These 6 US soldiers in Bergdahl’s military unit DIED while searching for this DESERTER/ DEFECTOR:
PFC Matthew Michael Martinek
Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss
SSG Clayton Bowen
PFC Morris Walker
SSG Michael Murphrey
2LT Darryn Andrews……all KIA!
Many others from various units were wounded or killed while searching for Bergdahl!
YHWH BLESS them & their grieving families!
gravenimage says
Very important point. Brave men died trying to rescue this vile POS. I could not be more disgusted.
gravenimage says
One more thing: three of the five Jihadists traded for this treasonous creep are already back in touch with the Taliban. Their one year “time out” in Qatar is almost up, and then they will be returning to Jihad.
duh_swami says
Treason layered with more treason…The only winners in all this, is the Taliban…Thank you President Rasool Obama…
Pavelina says
If this had happened during WW2: desertion to the enemy in combat situation, declared hatred of the U.S., — Bergdahl would have been executed long before this. I’m all for taking treason seriously again.
Isabellathecrusader says
When are we as a nation and a people going to stop lying about Barack Obama? Why is it so hard to state the fact that he is a traitor, he has not upheld his oath to protect the Constitution or his obligation to protect the American people, he acts like a dictator and does whatever he wants? Why has he not been arrested for these continuous crimes he commits? And why do most Americans keep wringing their hands and wondering what is going on all around us without being willing to state the obvious, that suicide bombings, beheadings, throwing acid on women, honor killings and amputations for theft all belong to Islam? These things are not being perpetrated by Catholics or Protestants, by the Rotary Club or Girl Scouts, or by Rastafarians or nerds. Nope, these actions are owned by Muslims who adhere to Islam and who, when they commit these atrocities, tell us they did it because of their religion. So can we please now stop lying about who is doing these things and why?
As to Barack Obama, he is committing crimes against humanity and he can either pay now or later. He should be arrested, tried and when found guilty, put away for life. As Wellington correctly stated, if you or I had done the things Obama has we would already be long gone. As it stands, no one in the Congress will hold him accountable, probably either because they are too scared to act because of some skeleton in their closet that they don’t want surfacing, because they are in a position to feather their own nests and don’t want to blow their opportunity or worse, because they are complicit and have sold us out, just like the Prez. So what is more likely to happen is another revolution, although a more deadly one than the last time, and Obama and Michelle enjoying a Ceaușescu moment after the people have absolutely had it. But how many more people’s lives will be destroyed by Obama and his administration before we get those taxpayer relief shots?
cat says
To Isabella the Crusader and Alarmed Pig Farmer…..yes yes yes. I agree.
Huck Folder says
Well the MSM (moslem socialist media) and cair probably play a big part, plus socialist academia (Alinski/Ayers/Dohrn…?) and their dhimmicrat spawn.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
They say you can run but you can’t hide. In Bergdahl’s case, he ran *to* the Mujahidin Moslems, not from them. No doubt impelled by his Dad, one of the many up-pops-a-Moslem ex-Infidels cropping up all over nowadays, Pvt. Bergdahl saw a way to kill two birds with one stone: get out of a war with which he disagreed, and please his Dad by checking out a whole new lifestyle.
In that, Prez Barack Hussein saw a guy worth saving, unlike the suckers put into play in Benghazi, whom he let die without an effort to save them.
David says
I have only one thing to say about obamer – a rope or gun! I can’t think of anything else to say but God bless America!!!!