koshergrl
Diamond Member
- Aug 4, 2011
- 81,129
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"1) Critics are saying Bergdahl should have been left behind
...This would be a great argument to make against critics of the swap if this was what they were saying. But theyre not."
"2) People who called for his release but are now critical are flip-flopping hypocrites!
.... I dont typically quote John Maynard Keynes but remember his line about changing positions? He said, When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?
"3) The motives of Bergdahls fellow infantry are suspect
...Speculating that the men who did not desert were psychopaths is just idiotic. ...And now the New York Times is trying to make the claim that Bergdahls unit was as much to blame for his disappearance as he was. Sigh."
"4) It doesnt matter that Bergdahl was a deserter
This argument posits that since Bergdahl hasnt yet been court-martialed, we cant even consider the circumstances of his disappearance.
...
The idea that the facts of Bergdahls disappearance could simply be wished away or pretended not to exist, simply because no court-martial had been convened, is ridiculous and juvenile The military owed Bowe Bergdahl its promise to try to rescue him, even if he walked away. The nation did not owe him an agreement to compromise national security by surrendering five high-value prisoners without asking what we were getting in return."
"5) Concerns that this sets a bad precedent or will lead to more hostage taking are overblown.
"Liberal pundits pooh-poohed the idea that global enemies would now be more inclined to try to secure a soldier as a hostage.
...Now, we can hope that the circumstances of this exchange will have no negative effect on Americans safety, but its also true that it suggests nabbing yourself a soldier might be in your best strategic interest. Time magazine reported:
Its better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people, the commander said, speaking by telephone on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird.
"6) The Taliban commanders we released werent that big a threat
...Remember when Rolling Stone was genuinely counter-cultural as opposed to being a mouthpiece for the U.S. president? Well, those days are long gone. Rolling Stone published a laughable piece headlined Four Myths About the Bowe Bergdahl Swap That Must Be Destroyed. It might have better been headlined Four White House Talking Points We Really Really Really Hope Youll Swallow. Anyway, one of them was:
"7) Bergdahls family is suspect"
"8) Reports that Bergdahl was sympathetic to his captors or declared Jihad prove he should be considered a traitor"
The 8 Stupidest Arguments Being Made About Obama's Bergdahl Swap
...This would be a great argument to make against critics of the swap if this was what they were saying. But theyre not."
"2) People who called for his release but are now critical are flip-flopping hypocrites!
.... I dont typically quote John Maynard Keynes but remember his line about changing positions? He said, When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?
"3) The motives of Bergdahls fellow infantry are suspect
...Speculating that the men who did not desert were psychopaths is just idiotic. ...And now the New York Times is trying to make the claim that Bergdahls unit was as much to blame for his disappearance as he was. Sigh."
"4) It doesnt matter that Bergdahl was a deserter
This argument posits that since Bergdahl hasnt yet been court-martialed, we cant even consider the circumstances of his disappearance.
...
The idea that the facts of Bergdahls disappearance could simply be wished away or pretended not to exist, simply because no court-martial had been convened, is ridiculous and juvenile The military owed Bowe Bergdahl its promise to try to rescue him, even if he walked away. The nation did not owe him an agreement to compromise national security by surrendering five high-value prisoners without asking what we were getting in return."
"5) Concerns that this sets a bad precedent or will lead to more hostage taking are overblown.
"Liberal pundits pooh-poohed the idea that global enemies would now be more inclined to try to secure a soldier as a hostage.
...Now, we can hope that the circumstances of this exchange will have no negative effect on Americans safety, but its also true that it suggests nabbing yourself a soldier might be in your best strategic interest. Time magazine reported:
Its better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people, the commander said, speaking by telephone on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird.
"6) The Taliban commanders we released werent that big a threat
...Remember when Rolling Stone was genuinely counter-cultural as opposed to being a mouthpiece for the U.S. president? Well, those days are long gone. Rolling Stone published a laughable piece headlined Four Myths About the Bowe Bergdahl Swap That Must Be Destroyed. It might have better been headlined Four White House Talking Points We Really Really Really Hope Youll Swallow. Anyway, one of them was:
MYTH: These five Taliban are the hardest of the hardcore
Now, maybe youre into groups that kill girls for the crime of going to school. I dont know. But, as Robert Tracinski writes, this was a Taliban Dream Team: These were top officials in the Taliban regime: a provincial governor, a deputy defense minister, a deputy intelligence minister, a top arms smuggler, and a top Taliban military commander. Two of them are wanted by the United Nations for war crimes committed against Afghanistans Shiites.
"7) Bergdahls family is suspect"
"8) Reports that Bergdahl was sympathetic to his captors or declared Jihad prove he should be considered a traitor"
The 8 Stupidest Arguments Being Made About Obama's Bergdahl Swap
