I fully expect that this tweet will get deleted very, very quickly:
Really sad to watch Obama haters attack this kid who CHOSE to fight to protect the rest of us, just to score political points.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 3, 2014
Hence the screenshot. Senator Chris Murphy, of course, is referring to the deserter Bowe Bergdahl – and if you’re wondering why I am now referring to the man as one, well: who am I to argue with the New York Times?
Sometime after midnight on June 30, 2009, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life. He slipped off the remote military outpost in Paktika Province on the border with Pakistan and took with him a soft backpack, water, knives, a notebook and writing materials, but left behind his body armor and weapons — startling, given the hostile environment around his outpost.
Somehow the government completely forgot to mention that Bergdahl left a note behind saying what he was doing. Which, by the way, is not actually acceptable military behavior. I mention this because Democratic Senators and other rabid liberal partisans seem to be confused about what actually is entailed in ‘choosing to fight to protect the rest of us.’ Spoiler alert: that doesn’t actually include such things like sneaking away from your post at the dead of night. The New York Times gets this. The Washington Post gets this. Even freaking NPR understands that there’s a legitimate problem. What’s Senator Murphy’s excuse?
Rhetorical question: Senator Chris Murphy doesn’t have one.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: The Seventy-Two Hour Rule is more of a guideline, really. One that many Democrats are now wishing that they had followed.
I know politics isn’t everything, but it’s hard for me to think I have much in common with an Obama supporter now. This is more depressing than passing Obamacare, and right on the heels of VA scandal.
I wish I could say I was surprised about this, but I’m not. I’m quite frankly disgusted by all of this.
“more of a guideline, really” Nice Pirates of Caribbean reference.
Also, Terry Pratchett.
Chris Murphy I should note, has been an idiot since he got into Office. An entitled and self-righteous prick as well.
Yep, the spin has started to protect the brat and to improve the dims chances during the midterms.
It seems to me that this particular issue is pretty much the ultimate diagnostic for the left-wing partisan hack. While you could make some semblance of a case for the prisoner swap if you really tried (i.e. we thought Bergdahl was too helpful to them, so we wanted him back), there is absolutely zero defense for treating him like a returning hero with a Rose Garden ceremony. Therefore, anyone defending Obama on this* is a purely partisan hack and nothing more.
* — It isn’t so much that they defend Obama as either say “but…but…Bush!” (Talking Points Memo), yell “Racist!” (MSNBC), or gripe about Republicans politicizing the issue (Murphy). But that’s just proof that there is no way to even attempt an intellectual defense for the position.
of course the problem with that “case” is that he’s been gone for 5 years. what help he could give them (outside of actually fighting for them) will already have been done.
the more I hear and think about this, the more it outrages me. maybe as much as any single thing 0bama has done.
One talking head wondered why he left his weapons behind when he went under the wires. If the Taliban had spotted him armed, they would have ambushed him, shooting first before he had a chance to surrender and appeal to their sense of Islamic solidarity.
Apparently his capture was even less dignified than even that. According to WikiLeaks, here’s the military communications traffic after Private Bergdahl didn’t show up the next morning for roll call: http://wikileaks.org/afg/event/2009/06/AFG20090630n1790.html … According to those records, intercepted enemy communications indicate that he was captured while he was taking a dump!
UPDATE: 0610z LLVI TRAFFIC FROM REDRIDGE: freq 162.1 1- W ARE READY FOR THEM. 2- ALL THE NUMBERS ARE MESS IT. WE ARE WWAITING FOR THEM. 1- LOL THEY KNOW WHERE HE IS BUT THEY KEEP GOING TO WRONG AREA. 2- OK SET UP THE WORK FOR THEM. 1- YES WE HAVE A LOT OF IED ON THE ROAD. 2- GOD WILLING WE WILL DO IT. 1- WE WERE ATTACKING THE POST HE WAS SITTING TAKING EXPLETIVE HE HAD NO GUN WITH HIM. HE WAS TAKING EXPLETIVE, HE HAS NOT CLEANED HIS BUTT YET. 2- WHAT SHEAM FOR THEM. 1- I DONT THINK HE W 2-YES LOOK THEY HAVE ALL AMERICANS, ANA HELICOPTERS THE PLANES ARE LOOKING FOR HIM. 1- I THINK HE IS BIG SHOT THAT WHY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HIM. 3-CAN YOU GUYS MAKE A VIDEO OF HIM AND ANNOUNCE IT ALL OVER AFGHANISTAN THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE AMERICANS. 1- WE ALREADY HAVE A VIDEO OF HIM.
This might be the first time the anti-war left hates WikiLeaks.
Nothing Obama does surprises me. Many believe he is an Islamic sympathizer and he does what he can, by directing the State Department and DOJ, to follow that approach. Causing harm to the USA is not a concern unless it becomes a political negative for him…
I do believe this is Obama’s “Swiftboat” saga.
There’s a report out now that he actually renounced his American citizenship in that note.