Obama Criticized for Release of Solider?

Nearly a decade ago before President Obama took office, or even a few weeks ago, it would have been nearly unfathomable for political figures to openly condemn the exchange of a US serviceman for just five once-prominent Taliban leaders as being too expensive.  Calling an exchange of prisoners illegal, even if it was technically true, would have never made the news, unless the person uttering those words was to be silenced.  Just hinting that the price was too high could have marked the end of even the most prominent politician’s career.  With the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, however, this exact scenario became reality, without any real consequences for critics.   

After five years of being held prisoner by the Taliban, Bergdahl’s release should have earned the Obama Administration praise and the solider a hero’s welcome.  At most, we would have expected some criticism aimed at the failure of the Obama Administration to free the young American sooner while there may have been some grumbling over Obama’s failure to inform Congress in a timely manner.  Instead, the American People are watching President Obama defending his Administration against a whole slew of criticism, including from US Senators and Congressmen.

In fact, Bergdalh’s homecoming has even been cancelled as follow soldiers openly accuse him of being a deserter.  Although these charges may or may not be valid, the fact that our political leaders and professional news outlets are able to so freely discuss this criticism is shocking.  At the very least, criticism should wait until Bergdalh has been given a chance to tell his story and face his accusers.  This is clearly a sign that our political system is far too toxic.  Given that President Obama has repeatedly tried to reach out to the other side of the aisle, has always tried to find legislative solutions that address “conservative” views before acting on his own, and would be on the right side of this issues at any other point in our history, the Right is more to blame for the negativity associated with this incident.  This should be a wakeup call that our political system needs some serious changes.