They did "Work out" he was likely a deserter, it was all over the news a few years ago. Despite that fact...

"We don't leave Americans behind; That's unequivocal"
-Stanley McChrystal

It was the right thing to do, but SURPRISE it was handled poorly by the Obama administration.

Without knowing the fall details of this case, I would suggest that there may be more to this story than meets the eye. The US could be doing the right things here but without being ever able to disclose all the details. They have paid a heavy price in releasing 5 Taliban, I suspect that would indicate that for whatever reason they needed their man back and were prepared to take the political hit to get their man.

Yeah they needed to get him back...Obama was gettign *killed* in the media by the VA scandal...and now we aren't talking about that anymore.

This POS was a deserter and most likely a traitor who worked with the Taliban, and the only good thing that should come out of his coming home is his pubic execution....followed immediately by Obama's.

pubic execution sounds p. kinky

We don't know enough. Was he just captured five years ago when he took an unauthorized break that would usually warrant a reprimand and drop in rank, but then he paid a price. Or was he actually working with the Taliban and this entire thing is a ruse on their part to get an operative on US soil? We just don't know.

Deserter, Traitor and collaborator. Funny (not really) that everyone who knew him from his unit, if they are talking, have nothing good to say about him.

Evidence. You need evidence of those three crimes. A simple abandonment of his post without proper relief is not any of those three. We know nothing of actual fact regarding those charges except what the media has pushed without any actual evidence themselves. Guilty until proven innocent? Try the other way around.

Yes, and the curretnyl available evidence supports the claim.

WHAT EVIDENCE! The media has conflated evidence from nothing. Joe Sixpack: "The wind is blowing" Media report" "Joe Sixpack said 'It was a fucking tornado!'"

There's a lot of evidence to suggest he's a bit of a prat. Anything more than that has an element of doubt, and I will neither shout coward or traitor whilst such doubts exist

Evidence -- statements of members of his unit -- THAT is evidence. Statements that indicate he planned to leave, statements regarding subsequent radio chatter, statements regarding not only increased attacks in subsequent days, but more effective attacks against US soldiers in subsequent days to his "unplanned break".

There is plenty of evidence from the mouths of soldiers that were there and saw and heard and lived through it. That's not media hype, that's evidence.

More interesting regarding your statements of “media hype”, this isn’t a bunch of biased fox news reporting, this is actually pretty damned universal.

“Joe Sixpack: "The wind is blowing" Media report" "Joe Sixpack said 'It was a fucking tornado!'"” Funny you should say this, as a month or so ago a tornado DID come through my town and tore a bunch of shit up – a friend of my daughters has a photo of the funnel cloud – but the media refused to call it a tordnado. Uprooted streets, telephone poles snapped in half, etc – evidence to the contrary (photo’s of tornado!!) seemed to have no meaning.

krellin hates america

Good to see so many people are pretty happy to throw POWs and servicemen under the bus to score a few cheap political points. Seeing that they should have left the taxi drivers and stock clerks out of Guantanamo about twelve years ago, that's not much of a loss there. Of course, having held them in prison and tortured them for twelve years, the US has probably been successful in turning them into full blown terrorists. But then, this is what happen when you conduct stupid wars stupidly.

Mostly, he was probably captured because certain commanders were pissed that Bergdahl, a devout Christian, blew the whistle on the stupid and savage conduct of his unit. Read some of his account of how those guys conducted themselves. No wonder so many Afghans hate the US. If someone ran over my child, I'd be ready to strike back too.

Statements to the media from his unit are both hearsay and not done under oath. I don't trust them until they are *under oath* to be honest. Maybe he just pissed people off and that was their revenge. Hell, maybe they did something to hijack him trying to get him in trouble for leaving his post and are covering up. There has been *no* investigation and until there is, there is *no* evidence worth taking at face value.

I agree with Draug, and those blasting this man should be ashamed of themselves...

Should be, but of course aren't, because they're krellin and his ilk.

You don't leave a man behind--period.

And Draug's right about statements from the media and his unit being hearsay.

But, of course, that's god enough for the likes of krellin and Co, who invert the general principle of Western Law--

Innocent until proven guilty?
No!
Guilty until proven innocent, of course...
And even THEN...

If Obama had anything to do about it, they're guilty anyway, because hatred of Obama of course trumps and blinds you to anything and everything else, from the compassion you so decry being dead in American society to the reason you trample over every time you go on a tirade.

So, go ahead, krellin...prove me right, and go on a tirade, and denounce him based on your own inextricable prejudices.

We already know you're prejudiced and a flaming racist, bigot, hypocrite and moron...

But the theatre and reminder's always entertaining.

You do not leave a man behind. Period.

The Army has trumpeted that as their ethos for oh-so-very long now...

If we're going to pat ourselves on the back over that ethos, we'd better live up to it.

Actually, that's the Corps who doesn't leave a man behind. The army does it all the time.

Seeing his hometown cancel that ceremony is as disgusting as it is perplexing. It was all over the news that he likely deserted over the last few years, yet when the political minds of their party didn't seem to care they were all about supporting their missing neighbor. Now that their political party is trying to make hay out of this, they finally "realize" that he could have deserted.

@obiwan

My understanding is that the army will review the circumstances of his capture, which I imagine they do 100% of the time when the soldier returns simply to find out what happened. I give the army command a little more credit for not listening to the FoxNews idiots. In any event, I for one might expect to see some punishments come out, but for Bergdahl's unit and commanders, not for Bergdahl, if the stories of their conduct are true.

Wait til the facts come out, and then decide. That's always wise.

@Santa - They cancelled it for legitimate security reasons. At least they claim. Deep down, there was probably politics involved, but the security issue is very valid.

I never said they shouldn't try to bring him home...but trading these 5 guys for him? bullshit...act of a traitorous President in another wag-the-dog situation who thought he could win a little glory to cover up his terrible VA press. The Feds actually turned DOWN an opportunity to recover this man previously (for cash) and didn't....so let's not pretend that it was so all-god-damned important to bring him home...because it wasn't before.

As for bringing him home...as I also said, glad he's home: Now we can put his ass on trial and execute him properly.

Ogion....I'm certain you feel like a good little Libtard lapdog and pat yourself on the head for a job well done by slamming Fox News, but it is ALLL THE FUCKING PRESS that's pissed about this one, moron.

Draug...you shoudl really be ashamed of yourself for having a belief that Obi is fully in support of.

Time to rethink, buddy.

Talks like a duck, walks like a duck, blah blah blah.

Besides which, any "military investigation" is going to be suspect from the start - which General is willing to go against Obama and put his career on the line to find out the truth about Sgt Taliban and properly convict him when the CIC fully backs him...

<slow clap> Well done, Obama:
http://time.com/2826534/bowe-bergdahl-taliban-captors/

"Asked whether the Taliban would be inspired by the exchange to kidnap others, he laughed. “Definitely,” he says. “It’s better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people. It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird.”"

OK I'm convinced the Taliban played the US like a fiddle on this one.

What??? :O

A military commander taking a conservative view of the situation on what's already obvious, that kidnapping valuable prisoners > kidnapping invaluable ones???

Oh my God, krelllin...I'm SHOCKED.

That just totally blew me away.

Well, shit, I guess if it encourages terrorists, we shouldn't do it...

Alright, guys--stop treating your wives like human beings and renounce democracy in favor of Sharia law!

We don't want to do anything to encourage those terrorists to act, after all...

I'm not arguing whether bringing him home was right or not. I couldn't give two rats' asses whether he is home or not. I'm just saying he needs his day in court. And yes, a military court can (and has) go(ne) against the CIC's wishes. The key will be to make certain the chain of command above the Sergeant isn't involved beyond their testimony.

By the way, it's a shit ton of effort to make Sergeant, so this isn't some Private/PFC fresh out of boot or some Lieutenant made to serve when his ROTC unit was called up, this is someone who had chosen the military as a career. That in itself tells me he wasn't likely to have just decided to go AWOL. There is way more to this story and we may never learn all of it, but I would bet good money that it involves those he reported taking action against him hoping he would be killed rather than the Taliban trading him.

Rumour has it that Lance Corporal Fagnaur U.S.M.C. wants to interrogate Muhammad Bergdahl with his Weapon of Ass Destruction.

1. We're not supposed to leave anybody behind.
2. If he is a deserter, or whatever, then WE punish him. Court martial, Ft. Leavenworth, larger rocks into smaller rocks, forever. Or whatever the competent military court decides.
3. To no great shock, plenty of faux outrage for political points. I mean, do you really think that people like Krellin or his like minded teabagging types would ever say "Man, President Obama did that thing that I liked". At best, they say the good things that happen have nothing to do with the President. You know, like shooting Osama in the face. So no matter what, if they did the trade, its all about how Obama is letting dangerous terrorists out, etc. If he refused, it would be all about how Obama is letting some brave soldier rot in enemy hands because he loves terrorists so much.

tl;dr: Teabaggers/krellinistas aren't exactly gifted with logical consistency.

^Understatement of the year on the forums so far.