Democrats never miss a chance to proclaim their love for the troops, but you can see from the Bowe Bergdahl story that it’s a very qualified sort of love.
Within two days of speaking up about the conditions of Bergdahl’s disappearance — pretty clearly not the battlefield capture of a war hero the Obama Administration portrayed it as — White House aides were slandering every man who served with Bergdahl for “swift boating” him.
Now, “swift boating” has a very specific meaning to Democrats. The term comes from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group of Vietnam vets who spoke out against falsehoods and distortions peddled by John Kerry during his presidential run. It’s an article of religious faith on the Left that the Swift Boat Veterans were somehow “discredited,” even though the majority of their criticisms were right on target and Kerry was forced to retract some of his more fanciful war stories. When a liberal talks about “swift boating,” he means unfair attacks launched by partisan operatives.
Unfortunately for the White House, the media is tugging at the threads of its story as it unravels. The Washington Post got in touch with some of the Afghan villagers who encountered Bergdahl after he left his post, and they confirmed he was not captured in battle. It seemed pretty clear he was trying to find the Taliban. Some of the villagers thought he was crazy, or maybe smoking hashish. I guess that whole village must be full of “swift boaters.”
It’s also been reported that troops involved in the search for Bergdahl over the past five years were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements. Something similar was done with survivors of the Benghazi attacks.
One man who served alongside Bergdahl, former Army Spc. Josh Fuller, said everyone in the unit knew Bergdahl had deserted but they were instructed not to tell the truth about it. That’s some awesome love and respect for the troops there.
Military commanders and intelligence officials protested the release of the five incredibly dangerous Taliban captives President Obama traded away. You can also watch my exclusive interview with the former “warden” at Gitmo, Col. Mike Bumgarner (ret.) to hear his personal stories of these detainees and why they are a danger.
A source at the Pentagon told Time magazine that Obama’s release of the prisoners was a victory for White House and State Department officials who wanted the military to “suck it up and salute.”
“Suck it up and salute.” Feel the love, soldiers of America!
It’s not difficult for most Americans to choose between troops who served in Afghanistan and Obama’s team of political hacks when it’s time to decide who knows the real story about Bergdahl. The White House lied about nearly every detail of the Taliban prisoner swap, and it’s all coming apart at the seams around them, faster than any scandal of the past six years has ever exploded.
This was supposed to be a distraction from the VA scandal. Instead, it reinforced everything bad for Obama about that story, and contains echoes of Benghazi too — right down to National Security Adviser Susan Rice getting sent onto Sunday talk shows to lie about how Bergdahl “served with distinction” and was captured in battle.
Military vets and their families were supposed to shut up and play their parts as pawns in Obama’s latest political game. They didn’t play along, so now they’re under attack from liberals. They don’t like pawns who talk back.
I don’t believe our soldiers should ever be treated as pawns. These men and women put their lives on the line for our country and deserve the respect that goes along with it. Not to be used, to get some politician out of the news for a few days.
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