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Why Obama Did Not Pardon Bergdahl
American Thinker ^ | January 28, 2017 | Jonathan F. Keiler

Posted on 01/28/2017 6:58:58 AM PST by Kaslin

Before he left office Barack Obama commuted more federal sentences than any other president in history, most famously that of former Army Private Bradley Manning, who divulged hundreds of thousands of classified documents and seriously damaged national security. Drug offenders were also high on Obama’s list. Notably absent was Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, whom Obama ransomed for several notorious Taliban terrorists, and Obama’s National Security Advisor proclaimed an American hero. Why did Manning get the nod and not Bergdahl?

Obama was far more personally invested in Bergdahl’s case, feting his parents in the Rose Garden upon the soldier’s release from Taliban captivity, and practically groping his mom, which even made liberal columnist Richard Cohen a bit queasy. But in deciphering Obama’s inaction on Bergdahl one first has to adopt the ex-president’s mindset, which might be summarized as “what’s in it for me?”

Obama had little to gain personally from intervening in Bergdahl’s case in his final days in office, despite the high cost we paid to recover the alleged deserter from Taliban captivity, and his own aide’s glowing words about Bergdahl, which surely reflected Obama’s own view at the time.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: barackhussein0bama; bergdahl; bho44; legacy; obama; pardons; worstpresidentever
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To: DIRTYSECRET
yes, I totally agree....Manning was a punk new recruit off the streets and the Army had him listed as an analyst....I suspect that Manning was promoted because of sexual deviation and fast tracked due to his associations (?) How did he qualify as an analyst?....the minimum experience and skills is a degree and or a Masters, failing that level at least 15 years field experience.... The next point...how did he have access to 700,000 documents? I submit, he was given the information by others and could have earned the title of Lee Harvey Oswald.
41 posted on 01/28/2017 9:01:05 AM PST by B212
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To: Kaslin

I am just glad he did not pardon Hillary. Sessions needs to prosecute her for all her crimes at state and put her in prison.

It is looking more and more like that is never going to happen. Such a shame. Trump said he would apply the law equally and letting Hilary off just because she was his opponent is not acceptable. She needs to be prosecuted.


42 posted on 01/28/2017 9:03:18 AM PST by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (The GOP will see the light, because Trump will make them feel the heat.)
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To: dhs12345

Word on the streets is Bergdahl was duped into taking a hike, so O would have a pretext to release the five.


43 posted on 01/28/2017 9:10:09 AM PST by sockmonkey (Donald Trump will ban auto-correct with an Executive Order. Go Trump!)
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To: sockmonkey

Excellent point. Five fewer detainees at Gitmo.


44 posted on 01/28/2017 9:13:28 AM PST by dhs12345
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To: CharlesOConnell
My biggest question is why Obama didn't pardon:


45 posted on 01/28/2017 9:31:21 AM PST by Lazamataz (I hereby coin a new Internet acronym: NTOWY -- Not Tired Of Winning Yet.)
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To: Cen-Tejas

“........look for Obama to come out of the closet in years to come....”

Which closet: Gay? Muslim? Not natural born? Antichrist?


46 posted on 01/28/2017 9:50:46 AM PST by avenir (I'm pessimistic about man, but I'm optimistic about GOD!)
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To: bigbob

“Yep, it had one more box checked”

Well, it is pre-op, so technically no box yet.


47 posted on 01/28/2017 10:01:56 AM PST by PLMerite
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To: B212

Not to disparage you or your background. You apparently have no military background. In the Army, Manning enlisted, tested as intelligent and was placed as a private in the intelligence / MOS , passed a background check (he came in under the dont ask dont tell admin) and was placed in an office room full of military computers. He found himself disenchanted and disgruntled and thought he could get away without being fingered and probably getting back at one of his superiors that disrespected him. One more reason not to have mentally confused/ unstable recruits in the military.


48 posted on 01/28/2017 10:13:10 AM PST by bdfromlv (Leavenworth hard time)
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To: Kaslin
The one that I was worried about receiving a pardon was Mummia, the cop killer. I've been saying for years that 0bama would pardon him on his way out the door as a last insult to the law enforcement community and decent, law abiding citizens. Really happy to be wrong on that one.
49 posted on 01/28/2017 10:18:20 AM PST by Jaxter (Si vis pacem para bellum.)
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To: Kaslin

When the man gets lose, he can be shot

Jail is where he is relatively safe


50 posted on 01/28/2017 10:28:25 AM PST by Thibodeaux (the long night is over)
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To: Thibodeaux

You’re missing the point....he never cared about Berghdal;it was just an excuse to release 5 terrorist buddies of his.


51 posted on 01/28/2017 10:33:51 AM PST by pawpawrick (I had a life once but my job ate it)
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To: Kaslin
Obama does not give a damn about Bowe Bergdhal or what happens to him

All Obamacares about is not have the details of the prisoner swap between Bergdhal and the five Taliban top level generals exposed.

A court martial of Bergdhal will concentrate on Bergdah’s desertion and possibly his treason for switching sides and becoming and envy combatant against his own fellow soldiers.

If Obama pardoned Bergdhal there would be renewed attention to Obama’s release of the five high level Taliban generals. These generals are really bad guys who were instrumental in defeating the Russians and who were then in charge of building and managing the world wide al- Qaeda Jihadi sleeper cell network, setting up the Jihadi training camps in Afghanistan, training the Jihadi sent from around the world and then helping the sleeper cells grow and train Jihadi in their home countries.

President Obama released these five generals to Qatar on the eve of the rise of ISIS and only a week or so before ISIS made it's first big offensive.

We now know that Qatar is the home of the Jihadi leadership and that ISIS in Libya, Syria, Iraq and other places are controlled from Qatar and also that the Palestinian leadership of HAMAS and the Islamic Jihadi are also living in Qatar and leading the violence in Israel and the recent tunnel war in Gaza form Qatar.

ISIS has amazed the world with how quickly it grew and became an effective , cohesive fighting force. These five Taliban generals Obama released were the ones who originally set up, trained and managed the Jihadi sleeper cells from around the world that supplied the huge influx of trained and indoctrinated foreign Jihadi fighters

The desperate release of the five Taliban Generals on the eve of the ISIS offensive and the stunning and inexplicable rise of ISIS of a large, well trained, disciplined and cohesive army with well defined command structure is no coincidence

These five generals were no doubt instrumental in the activation of the Bin Laden sleeper cell network and transport and organizing of Jihadi fighters to Syria and Iraq. The five generals also no doubt contribute their fighting experience derived from fighting and defeating the Russians in Afghanistan (Syria is a Russian trained and equipped military) from the ISIS command and control centers located in their safe havens in Qatar.

Obama let these five Taliban generals out of Guantanamo Bay just in time to let them take the baby organization their nurtured so well in Afghanistan and grow it into the ISIS army we see running wild and expanding around the world to spread chaos, violence, murder war crimes and crimes against humanity where ever it goes.

No way does Obama want to re open medial scrutiny of his release of the five Taiban generals in exchange for Bergdhal on the eve of the ISIS offensive and breakout into Iraq.

Renewed media scrutiny combined with 5 years if hindsight on the rise of ISIS as context, could potentially expose how Obama aided and abetted the rise of ISIS by releasing the Taliban generals who took on the Russians in Afghanistan and won and who went on to establish and train the world wide al-Qaeda sleeper cell network and how Obama released them directly to Qatar who was supporting ISIS and allowing the ISIS leadership to run the Jihad in Syria, Iraq and Libya from safe havens in Qatar Renewed media scrutiny could also expose just how many millions of dollars Obama gave to the Taliban to have Bergdahl released.

52 posted on 01/28/2017 11:09:58 AM PST by rdcbn (.... when Poets buy guns, tourist season is over ......d)
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To: CharlesOConnell
Perhaps they should have taken that trans to AAMCO. They could fix it for less.

"Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)

LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

53 posted on 01/28/2017 11:23:36 AM PST by LonePalm (Commander and Chef)
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To: Kaslin

Everything Obama did was to weaken or humiliate the United States in some way.

1. Bergdahl is white and apparently not a homosexual of some stripe. All white males seeking help from Obama must be examples that undermine the ideal of a John Wayne. They must be like Pajama Boy.
2. He is from Idaho who has 2 parents
3. He failed to convert all the way to Islam.
4. He was not a paper filer or academic “analyst”


54 posted on 01/28/2017 11:48:47 AM PST by ecomcon
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To: rdcbn

Great analysis. Thank you.
Maybe Bergdahl didn’t get a pardon because Mrs. Bergdahl balked at Mr and Mr Obama’s perverted sandwich.


55 posted on 01/28/2017 12:19:23 PM PST by namvolunteer (Obama says the US is subservient to the UN and the Constitution does not apply. That is treason.9we)
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To: dhs12345

“Maybe Obama realized after the fact that Bergdahl was indeed a traitor and cost American lives.”

I would disagree with the “realized” word in that statement.

First, it was clear that Berg cost US lives from the outset.
Second, “traitor” is more a resume enhancement than demerit in the brain of 0bama.
Third, the one thing that 0bama has done, very hesitantly, very surreptitiously, almost never, is to admit he has erred. Sniveling little puke that he is, this way, by just overlooking the act of pardoning Bergdahl, he just dumps another meaningless nobody under the great voracious bus of his debris trail instead of maybe missing a round of golf due to timewasting, irritating paperwork.

Perhaps because the POTUS has much more limited authority to grant pardons where the defendant is under military (vs civilian- criminal) jurisdiction. (I don’t know the correct answer but I’d suspect that is the case)

I’m frankly surprised he did not pardon Bergdahl. That would have a nice sharp stick to shove in the eye of those who feel patriotic towards the military.


56 posted on 01/28/2017 12:19:43 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Apoplectic is where we want them!)
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To: Kaslin
Manning got 35 years.

Bergdahl hasn't even had his trial yet.

If it was the other way around and Manning didn't have a trial yet and Bergdahl was sentenced to decades in prison, it's possible that Bergdahl would have been the one who got the pardon.

57 posted on 01/28/2017 12:25:29 PM PST by x
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To: Lazamataz

I am surprised he didn’t pardon Blagojevich.


58 posted on 01/28/2017 12:56:58 PM PST by castlegreyskull
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To: Kaslin

Where is Obama, anyway? Anyone know? Is he with his wife and children? Where? Or is he still with those two guys in Palm Springs?

Anyone?


59 posted on 01/28/2017 1:48:13 PM PST by Captain Jack Aubrey (There's not a moment to lose.)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder
Ya I am not certain what Obama was thinking but no doubt it was tied to his ego.
60 posted on 01/28/2017 3:54:41 PM PST by dhs12345
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