Mid-May, 2014: President Obama calls leaders of Congress into a top-secret meeting and informs them of the opportunity to get Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl released from Taliban captivity. Both Democrats and Republicans question the president about the wisdom of releasing five Taliban leaders, though, at the time, none of them have any idea how significant, or not, those individuals were before they were captured and sent to the military prison on Guantanamo Bay. The president reminds them that whether they are significant or not, or whether they pose a future threat to American forces, 1) they were never part of the Al Qaeda cabal that attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001, 2) they were captured as enemy combatants in a war that will have drawn to a close by the time they are released from house arrest in Qatar, and 3) every civilized nation, and even some of the not-so-civilized nations, honors the tradition of releasing prisoners of war at the end of conflict. “That is how we got you back from North Vietnam, if you remember, John,” the president will be reported to have said to Sen. John McCain in accounts of the meeting years hence.
As the meeting progresses, it is apparent that, along with knowing nothing about the five Taliban leaders, the congressional leaders also know nothing about Bowe Bergdahl except that he is the only American soldier in enemy hands in Afghanistan, and that he has been held prisoner for five years. The details of his service record, his opinions on the United States' involvement in Afghanistan, and how he became a captive are murky and incomplete, and of course, Bowe himself isn’t there to provide any answers. But those details are not part of the considerations, anyway, because nobody questions the legitimacy of efforts to bring him home. Adding to the urgency, Obama explains that there is evidence the young soldier’s health is deteriorating, and that if they don’t act now, they may never get him back.
The congressional leaders begrudgingly grant Obama authority to make the exchange—the Democrats doing so out of loyalty to their president and the principle that unless it is an impossible, the American military does not leave soldiers behind. The Republicans do so because they fear the political ramifications of the public finding out they blocked the release of the only American POW of the Afghan war. Within…
As the meeting progresses, it is apparent that, along with knowing nothing about the five Taliban leaders, the congressional leaders also know nothing about Bowe Bergdahl except that he is the only American soldier in enemy hands in Afghanistan, and that he has been held prisoner for five years. The details of his service record, his opinions on the United States' involvement in Afghanistan, and how he became a captive are murky and incomplete, and of course, Bowe himself isn’t there to provide any answers. But those details are not part of the considerations, anyway, because nobody questions the legitimacy of efforts to bring him home. Adding to the urgency, Obama explains that there is evidence the young soldier’s health is deteriorating, and that if they don’t act now, they may never get him back.
The congressional leaders begrudgingly grant Obama authority to make the exchange—the Democrats doing so out of loyalty to their president and the principle that unless it is an impossible, the American military does not leave soldiers behind. The Republicans do so because they fear the political ramifications of the public finding out they blocked the release of the only American POW of the Afghan war. Within…