Hindsight Critics, Unite!

Prisoner swaps are nothing new. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Troubles, Iran-Contra, the idea of trading for POW or political hostages isn’t exactly cutting-edge foreign policy. Especially when it comes to getting back American service members. Of course, the handwringing and gnashing of teeth that goes with the deals is nothing new either. Look at the end of the Vietnam War, when prisoner swaps were used first in 1968 and continued all the way up until the end of the war, but even by the end of the war some exchanges were held up by debate over releasing certain Communist prisoners. The remarkable thing about the swap for Sgt. Bergdahl is that taking prisoners has become rarer in modern war and that politics is more bitter and partisan than ever.

The Obama Administration had to make a gut call when it came to getting Sgt. Bergdahl back. No deal is going to make everyone happy. I’m sure the family would have been willing to let every detainee at Gitmo go if it got their son back, and I don’t blame them. On the other side, hawks in Congress with their motto of never negotiate won’t deal regardless of the terms. All of the drama this week pretty much stems from this difference. Its coming Republicans in Congress shouting we wanted him back, but now we’re angry because we don’t like how you accomplished it. The need to find issue with everything the administration has done has become so comical that Fox News is criticizing the fact that his dad was next to the President with a “Taliban-esque” beard. Really? After all, if beards were a qualifier for Taliban, Phil Robertson never would have made it to the Republican Leadership Conference.

Was the deal to get Bergdahl back perfect? No. The Rose Garden press conference was especially tone-deaf. Staff should be fired. But it’s easy to armchair quarterback and watch pundits talk about what they’d have done. Making sure every service member comes home is a commitment that can’t be taken lightly, or waived because the guy has mental issues or whatever else. If he committed crimes, he’ll be held accountable. (If 5 years being tortured as a POW wasn’t enough…) But the needless politicizing of every move the administration makes, even ones that we called for by Republicans who wanted the administration to do all it can to bring him back, is hypocritical and dangerous. Some Republican Senators have been so blinded by the Fox spin, which they’re actively defending to different sets of talking points, pre and post release. This is a new low in the policy of attacking the President. If your foreign policymaking is simply spite the President, you’re only endangering every other service member who’s put their lives on the line.

Reprinted from 5th District State Sen. Curt Thompson's (D-Tucker) blog. Thompson represents parts of unincorporated Duluth, Norcross, Tucker, and Lawrenceville. Also, check the Senator out on Facebook and Twitter.