[thesharkboy]

“When you’re in the Navy, and you go overboard, it doesn’t matter if you were pushed, fell or jumped,” he said. “We’re going to turn the ship around and pick you up.”

The Navy doesn't have to trade 5 terrorists for someone who jumped into the water.

[ken5050]

Adm Kirby's example is rather lame...in that one doesn't desert by jumping overboard..

[Don Corleone]

Obama knew about the AWOL/Desertion. He did know and went ahead with it anyway?

Its the arrogance of a dictator exploiting the weakness of the congress.

[GeronL]

This is starting to look like it is going to backfire on Obama for real... someone slap me out of it.

[Hugin]

He didn’t go AWOL. He deserted. There’s a difference.

[Paisan]

I saw, on FOX NEWS last night, that Bird Dog actually made a phone call to “someone”, 2 days after his desertion, that he was deserting. This was reported by one of Fox’s ex-military “experts”.

I’m not sure of the veracity of this as I don’t know “who” he called, or even if cell phones are auxiliary equipment in the military.

[Principled]

I’m sure 0bama found out by hearing it on the news. He’s outraged and will focus like a laser beam on the issue. Period.

No questions tho b/c ongoing investigation.

[clintonh8r]

Why is he not under arrest?

[Boanarges]

Bob Bergdahl exposed....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEz5jvrkxcM

[traderrob6]

AWOL or desertion?

[Verginius Rufus]

In the movie Flags of Our Fathers someone falls overboard as the ships are moving in for the landing on Iwo Jima, and the man overboard is out of luck--no one does anything to try to rescue him.

[Boanarges]

Soldiers threatened...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPaYp-F6IM0

[oh8eleven]

NYT: Bergdahl left a note saying that he was deserting.
But, but, Susan Rice said,"Bergdahl served with honor and distinction."

[vaudine]

My question--why did we swap 5 major terrorists for a deserter and have left a 2 combat tour marine in a Mexican jail?

Close the d@#n border with Mexico until he is released.!!

The way I see it, sgt. Tamoreesi's release wouldn't stroke the Muslims.

This is one political grandstand that I hope blows up in Obama's face and in the faces of all the immature "dude" people he has placed in strategic positions. Such spineless, know nothing wimps.

vaudine

[csvset]

We’re going to turn the ship around and pick you up.”

True, but...

When I was stationed aboard The USS NIMITZ, we had a mess cook jump off the ship while we were underway. It was night time, in the Mediterranean sea. Yes, a rescue swimmer was dispatched via helo.

The jumper tried to swim away, the rescue swimmer punched the jumper and convinced him he was going back to the ship.

Once aboard the ship, the swimmer went to medical for a brief check up, then straight to Captain's Mast and from there to the brig.

Yes, Captain, the Navy will come and rescue you, but stand by to be punished if need be.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said that there was a larger matter at play: The American military does not leave soldiers behind. “When you’re in the Navy, and you go overboard, it doesn’t matter if you were pushed, fell or jumped,” he said. “We’re going to turn the ship around and pick you up.”"

But if the sailor denounced his country and his fellow sailors, jumped overboard, and five sailors died trying to rescue him, you don't send a presidential aide on national television to say, "He served with honor." It is spooky that we have nitwits like Kirby in command.

[The_Republic_Of_Maine]

"I assume this has been reported before but if, like me, you’re coming to the story only recently, it’s big news. Apparently, the military had — and, maybe, has — hard evidence from the man himself that he went AWOL deliberately. "

AWOL is in peace time, in war time or in a war zone it is desertion. The difference is that AWOL is a few days in the brig or restriction to base, desertion is line up against a wall and shot.

Well maybe those are exaggerations or the extremes at either end, but the difference is HUGE.

[blueunicorn6]

And if Bergdahl was 100 meters outside the perimeter, they would go get him. That doesn’t mean we should trade international murderers for him.

Admiral Popeye has been smoking seaweed.

[Bluestocking]

Now we know why Obama didn’t consult Congress before making the five-Guantanamo-terrorists-for-Bowe-Bergdahl deal, even though it was against the law for him not to do so — because he KNEW Sgt. Bergdahl was a deserter and that, if consulted, Congress would have checked with the Pentagon and found out his deserter status and blocked the deal before it could have gone through, such as by leaking this abomination to the media.

In fact, even Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid would probably have opposed the deal if they’d known about it, since they’d be concerned that freeing a deserter would create another serious scandal for Obama that would reflect badly on the entire Democratic party during an election year.