Bowe Bergdahl

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Before Army, Bergdahl Was Discharged From Coast Guard

Left after 26 days amid psychological concerns

(Newser) - Joining the Army wasn't Bowe Bergdahl's first military experience: He was in the Coast Guard for 26 days. Due to his departure before 180 days of service, he was given an "uncharacterized discharge" in 2006, friends tell the Washington Post ; military records confirm the story. He left...

Secret Bergdahl Prediction: Only 1 Will Shun Taliban

2 likely to return as honchos, says assessment made during negotiations

(Newser) - The back story of the Bowe Bergdahl swap gets one detail richer today by way of a Wall Street Journal report on a classified assessment that found two of the five Guantanamo detainees that were to be released would likely end up back in a senior role with the Taliban....

Most Americans Think Price Was Too High for Bergdahl

56% in CBS poll don't like the trade for 5 Taliban members

(Newser) - Americans generally aren't too pleased with the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner exchange, especially if they're veterans or Republicans, according to a new CBS poll . Specifically, most in the poll (56%) think the US paid too high of a price by exchanging five Gitmo detainees. Some highlights:
  • Disapprove: 45% disapprove
...

Jon Stewart Takes on Haters of 'Muslim' Bergdahls

While Colbert mocks his so-called cage

(Newser) - Bowe Bergdahl has been taking a lot of heat on cable news, with pundits—particularly on Fox—calling him un-American or worse. "In just a few days this guy ... went from 'guy who left base without permission' to 'Muslim terrorist Kennedy assassin,'" Jon Stewart observed...

John Kerry: Freed Taliban Could Fight, Also 'Get Killed'

(Newser) - John Kerry has a word for critics who charge that American troops are in greater danger in the wake of the prisoner swap that freed five Taliban leaders, and that word is "baloney ." Of the Taliban, he says, "I am not telling you that they don’t...

Bergdahl Was Kept in Shark Cage for Weeks

US officials also say he's in decent shape physically; mentally still unready

(Newser) - Bowe Bergdahl tried in vain to escape his Taliban captors, US officials tell the New York Times , and as punishment, he says "they kept him in a shark cage in total darkness for weeks, possibly months," says one official; that's a drastically different scenario than the Taliban...

Taliban: Bergdahl Played Soccer, Read Books

Spokesman describes his 'good conditions'

(Newser) - So how did Bowe Bergdahl while away the five years he spent as a Taliban hostage in Afghanistan? Playing soccer with his captors and reading about Islam seem to be two pastimes, a Taliban spokesman tells the AP . "You can ask him in America about his life (in captivity),...

Obama Made the Right Decision on Bowe Bergdahl
Obama Made the Right Decision on Bowe Bergdahl
OPINION
Jun 6, 2014 12:58 PM CDT

Obama Made the Right Decision on Bowe Bergdahl

David Brooks and Charles Krauthammer defend the move

(Newser) - President Obama is taking much flak over his decision to negotiate with the Taliban for the freedom of Bowe Bergdahl , but two columnists on the right come to his defense today. "Obama made the right call," writes David Brooks in the New York Times . Even if Bergdahl is...

Taliban: We Found Bergdahl Alone, Cursing Americans

Commanders say they thought it was a trick

(Newser) - The Taliban were just as confused by Bowe Bergdahl as the Afghan villagers who first encountered him after he allegedly wandered off his base, two former commanders say. Fighters rushed to capture Bergdahl after villagers informed them of his presence, and he was found walking alone, acting strangely, and cursing...

White House: We Thought Bergdahl Would Be Killed

Says it bypassed Congress because of threats by Taliban

(Newser) - The Obama administration has told senators it didn't notify Congress about the pending swap of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban officials because the Taliban had threatened to kill him if the deal was made public before it happened. That's according to three congressional officials who spoke to...

'High' Bergdahl Headed Right for Taliban: Villagers

Dazed soldier was probably 'smoking hashish,' district intel chief says

(Newser) - Just how did Bowe Bergdahl end up separated from his US military base and in the hands of the Taliban? According to Afghan villagers who met Bergdahl wandering off base shortly before his capture, it seems he headed right for trouble. "It was very confusing to us. Why would...

Bergdahl's Hometown Cancels Celebration

Hailey, Idaho, says it's too small to host

(Newser) - When Bowe Bergdahl first got released, people back home in Hailey, Idaho, promised the "biggest welcome-home party the country has ever seen." But now the party's off, reports the Idaho Statesman . In its explanation, the tiny city makes no mention of the controversy swirling around Bergdahl—whether...

1 in 3 Freed Gitmo Detainees Returns to Violence

In some cases with dire results

(Newser) - Just how dangerous was the Obama administration's move to swap five Guantanamo detainees for Bowe Bergdahl ? It's hard to say, but as of January roughly 29% of the 614 Guantanamo detainees released so far had returned to the fight, the Wall Street Journal reports, based on Director...

Here's Why Bergdahl Actually Wasn't a Deserter

He was never classified as such, having been captured so quickly

(Newser) - When is a solider a deserter? Critics have accused Bowe Bergdahl of being one ; there's even a petition to the White House calling for his punishment and a popular “Bowe Bergdahl is NOT a Hero!” Facebook page. But the Idaho Statesman pointed out on Saturday that Bergdahl...

Clinton Wasn't Real Keen on Bergdahl Deal

Inside the administration debate

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton offered a less-than-ringing endorsement of the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap yesterday, calling the administration's no-man-left-behind ideal "noble," but adding, "I think we have a long way to go before we really know how this is going to play out." Which isn't surprising,...

What About the Other American 'Left Behind'?

Alan Gross has been imprisoned in Cuba for 5 years: Ruth Marcus

(Newser) - Regardless of where you stand on the controversy surrounding Bowe Bergdahl's release —Ruth Marcus calls herself "tentatively against the (prisoner) swap"—it serves as an argument for aiding another captive American. Alan Gross, a state department subcontractor, has been in a Cuban prison for almost five...

Taliban: Here's Video of Bergdahl Handover

Afghanistan meeting lasted less than a minute

(Newser) - The moment Bowe Bergdahl saw freedom after five years of captivity is captured in a dramatic video released by the Taliban. In the 17-minute video, a clean-shaven Bergdahl can be seen waiting in a pickup truck while Taliban soldiers stand guard in eastern Afghanistan, Reuters reports. "We told them...

Bergdahl May Have Walked Off Base Multiple Times

Meanwhile, Army will take 'second look' at his case

(Newser) - The Army Times adds a new wrinkle to the Bowe Bergdahl saga : It quotes officials saying that the Army sergeant may have sneaked off his base in Afghanistan more than once before being captured by the Taliban. “We have no indication that he intended to leave permanently,” says...

Bergdahl Backlash Is Work of GOP
 Bergdahl Backlash 
 Is Work of GOP 
OPINION
Jun 3, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Bergdahl Backlash Is Work of GOP

Strategists organize interviews with soldiers, says columnist

(Newser) - The world has been hearing lately from soldiers criticizing freed soldier Bowe Bergdahl . While they have a right to their opinions, much of the publicity they're currently getting is thanks to a "GOP-run dog-and-pony show" reminiscent of the Swift Boat campaign against John Kerry, writes Adam Weinstein at...

Now a Bergdahl Tweet Is Raising Eyebrows

Bowe's father, Bob, reportedly directed it at a Taliban rep

(Newser) - There has been no shortage of criticism surrounding the release of Bowe Bergdahl, and a now-deleted tweet is joining the roster of things being picked apart. As the Washington Post reports, Bergdahl's father, Bob, last week tweeted the following: "I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners....

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