The Swap is a Dream Come True for the Taliban

Was the Bowe Bergdahl swap a good idea? For the Taliban, it’s a dream come true. For the United States, a nightmare. An American president knowingly released five of his nation’s highest ranking enemies in return for one young soldier during wartime. And not just any soldier, one who apparently walked off post after e-mailing his parents that America was “disgusting” and mailing home his uniforms and books. Such a wartime decision is unprecedented, and has brought American power to a new low.

Taliban leaders like Mullah Omar say it’s a “great victory” – and they’re not wrong. Enemies who have declared war on America and our allies have been rewarded for terrorism and emboldened to capture more U.S. troops. If the Taliban can spring their deputy defense minister, deputy intel minister, two governors and a provincial security chief, men who killed and tortured countless thousands, in exchange for one Army soldier who appears to be a deserter at best, or an enemy collaborator at worst, what concessions can they get for a war hero? Or five soldiers? Maybe Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks? Or the remainder of the nearly 150 detainees at Guantanamo? Considering that nearly one-third of ex-Gitmo detainees are already confirmed or suspected of having returned to terrorism, it seems a near certainty that the “Taliban dream team” will fight us again once their one-year poolside vacation in Qatar ends, if not sooner. President Obama has put our troops in grave danger. Apart from Afghanistan, terrorists now have incentives to abduct them in Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey and beyond. Prisoner exchanges during wartime are not uncommon, though this incident stretches that concept beyond imagination. A one-for-one swap with Bergdahl and a Taliban foot soldier might have been plausible, but not for five four-star general equivalents. While often preaching about the “rule of law,” Obama ironically broke the law by failing to give Congress the required notification before transferring the detainees from Gitmo, violating a time-honored, Constitutionally-guaranteed system of checks and balances between branches of government. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s excuse was that Bergdahl’s health required immediate attention, though it’s hard to imagine why now is any different than during his 5 years in captivity. Trust us, they say. Right, just like core al-Qaida has been decimated, and the Benghazi attack was because of a video? Speaking of which, national security advisor Susan Rice re-surfaced on Sunday on national television, claiming that Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction.” Seriously? She defended those words by noting he wore the uniform and served the nation at war. Interesting. So did the Ft. Hood shooter, Major Nidal Hassan, and Wikileaker Pvt. Bradley Manning. Americans should question the White House’s sudden burst of patriotism in “leaving no one behind.” It seems more likely a cynical ploy to close Guantanamo and rush for the exits in Afghanistan. While some have labeled Obama and his top advisors “incompetent,” I have come to disagree. There’s a definite pattern and they seem to have a master plan. Action speaks louder than words. Based upon their strategy of appeasement at all costs towards anti-American radical Islamists and oppressive regimes in Iran, Russia, China, North Korea and Venezuela, combined with $1 trillion in defense spending cuts, they are weakening America more each day. Instead of wondering “if,” perhaps it’s time Americans start asking “why?” President Obama’s disregard of our nation’s laws, combined with apparent deception of the Congress and the American people, calls for yet another investigation by a Congressional Special Committee. And yes, one that may lead to impeachment. Read the original article on USNews.com.