Isn't the Bergdahl affair WORSE than Carter's failed attempt at rescuing hostages?

It was a well known fact Bowe was a deserter and likely a traitor from day one, five years ago. But it would be nice if our commander in chief didn't always have to learn the facts on any given issue by watching the evening news after he performs some lame executive act.

So you prefer the Reagan tactic of trading US hostages for 1,500 rockets to Iran?

Rockets that were used against Israel.

And 1 US POW for 5 former low level Taliban government officials who have been in captivity for the past 10 years and who were going to released in another year anyway, seems alike a great deal for the US.

I'm not gonna fault Carter for trying. I will fault Obama for a cruddy deal tho.

He's still a US Soldier dumb azz! This country leaves no man behind....period!

Actually, one of Bush's CIA Officials scored a deal with the Ayatollah to hold off releasing the hostages until Reagan won the election. However, the Carter Adm. negotiated a deal with the Iranian Gov. before the CIA Official's arrival. Of course the Iranian Gov. bowed to the Ayatollah's wishes and the rest is history.

The Iranian Gov. Official in charge of the deal with the Carter Adm. has went on record a few year ago with this account, and it remains unchallenged.

Sure, I could provide the link, but letting these Reagan worshipers fall deeper into their deluded state by rejecting this incredible story - serves a better purpose!

"But then he finds out he did it for a traitor ..."

The US knew exactly who they were dealing with. A 2010 Pentagon investigation concluded that Bergdahl had indeed walked away from his unit seeking the Taliban. The Department of Defense had cited "Incontrovertible Proof" that he had deserted his post.

There is more to this story than meets the eye. Obama had another motive for releasing those five Taliban detainees - the release of whom the Taliban has been actively seeking for years.

Maybe Obama thought that a tearful homecoming would portray him and Bergdhal has heroes, and take attention off the VA scandal, perhaps Obama did not anticipate the blowback by his fellow soldiers and unit commanders.

Or maybe there was a bigger deal in play - some higher-level negotiation between Obama and the Taliban, and the Berghdal story is just the public face of it all.

I don't think that Obama and his advisors are that stupid, to have been caught unawares like this. I think they have calculated all of the political ramifications of the story we are now hearing, and have concluded that this story, with all its details, is one they can contain far more easily than whatever the real deal was.

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you want, but I don't believe we ever know anything about the government except what they want us to know - and they will put out information directly or via leaks to control that information.

No, and it's not worse than giving Iran weapons in exchange for hostages, or starting a trumped up war in Iraq based on overt lies either.

Greasy is right. We got him. Now Court Martial him and if found guilty? Firing Squad...

Only if you hate Obama with so much of a passion you can't think straight..

I think Reagan's first attempt at rescuing the Iran hostages was the worst. If you remember it resulted in 8 dead servicemembers.