This next phase is entirely predictable. The White House will dispatch “unnamed senior military officials”, and “anonymous White House sources” to start the PR campaign to rehabilitate the image of Bowe, Bob and Jani Bergdahl.

President Obama needs Bowe turned into a victim hero asap. To that end the stage crew (Denis McDonough, Tony Blinkin, Ben Rhodes, David Plouffe and Susan Rice) will coordinate a very specific messaging campaign. A ‘stubbed toe’ becomes a Purple Heart worthy wound etc.

WASHINGTON DC – Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has told people treating him at a U.S. military medical facility in Germany that he was tortured, beaten and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss what Bergdahl has revealed about the conditions of his captivity.  The official said it was difficult to verify the accounts Bergdahl has given since his release a week ago.

Bergdahl, now 28, was captured in June 2009 after he disappeared from his infantry unit. He was held for nearly five years by Taliban militants. (more…)

Cry me a river….. The bigger story is why, after a week, they have yet to be in contact with their delicate wallflower. Well, that, and the word “former” behind the name of their “pastor”… {{nudge, nudge…. wink, wink,… say no more}}  … “Calvinists” eh?… (think about it)

‘Proctor said he was the family’s pastor in 2003 in Boise and has remained close with them ever since’.

(VIA ABC NEWS) The former pastor of the parents of a soldier released from Taliban captivity after almost five years said Friday they have been hurt by allegations that he was a traitor and by the outpouring of anger toward their family.

“They have been really hurt,” said Pastor Phil Proctor of Sterling Presbyterian Church in Sterling, Virginia. “They’re trying to keep their heads down.”

Proctor said Bob and Jani Bergdahl were surprised by interviews they have seen with former platoon mates of their son Bowe Bergdahl. Some of the soldiers told media outlets they didn’t support the exchange of five Taliban officials that led to his freedom.

“This very much hit them as a shock and I’m not sure anybody’s got the full story,” said Proctor, who is urging prayer and compassion for the family. (more…)

Courtesy of iOTW

How does the Taliban release 5 prisoners? Gitmo parolee Mohammed Fazi demonstrates https://t.co/iwu14XTJc1

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) June 7, 2014

(VIA USA Today) An air of hubris — a sort of we-know-it-all quality — has permeated the Obama White House from the beginning. It worked as a public relations strategy for the better part of five years. But it seems to be breaking down now.

The sophisticated swagger and savoir faire projected by the President and his strategists — audacity with cool, if you will — captivated a major segment of the 2008 voting public, many of whom were tired of George W. Bush and believed Barack Obama could bring real change to Washington. (more…)

Watch the Obama interview with Brian Williams recorded yesterday:

Politico has a defense article to support this interview HERE.

However, it is important to remember both Senate Intelligence Committee Head, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, and Republican Saxby Chambliss were informed in advance of the mission to Kill/Capture Osama Bin Laden.  Without issue.

It is also important to remember the Washington Post ran a front page article in February outlining the exact details of this trade.  It wasn’t a secret.

What the heck is President Obama talking about ?

He’s repeating McDonough/Rhodes talking points that have been thoroughly debunked. One can only conclude the time lag, and geographic distance from his handlers, has interrupted his capacity to restructure and reset his position.

(more…)

Earlier this morning Joe Trippi sent out the following tweet:

Feb 17, 2014 Guess Congress did not read this front page Washington Post story 70 days before Bergdahl release http://t.co/l1wHHD6uLO

— Joe Trippi (@JoeTrippi) June 6, 2014

The link takes you to a Front Page Washington Post article published in FEBRUARY. CLICK HERE

The Post article outlines, with specific detail, what the White House was about to do in trading Gitmo detainees for PFC Bowe Bergdahl. The fact that this much accurate detail was previously known, and yet the White House never consulted congress, is devastating to the White House current narrative:

FEBRUARY 2014 – In an effort to free American captive Bowe Bergdahl before the bulk of U.S. forces leave Afghanistan this year, the Obama administration has decided to try to resume talks with the Taliban and sweeten an offer to trade Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the Army sergeant, current and former officials said.

(more…)

A rather interesting dynamic is finally being exposed on a large scale.   Here is my humble attempt to explain what’s going on.

Following the modus operandi of the Obama administration the Bergdahl issues are in full alignment with a consistent White House pattern.

It is sometimes easier to use analogies to help understand the facts behind what is taking place.  So, here goes….

Think about this administration as a travelling show projecting an appearance outward to an audience.   The stage they construct is filled with visual aides for their performance.  The audience is two-fold and hence the strange appearances, and hypocrisies.

Screenplay discussions:  (L to R) Denis McDonough, POTUS, Tony Blinkin, Ben Rhodes

The primary audience is the American electorate.  Think of us as the larger audience seated in front of the stage and watching the presentation, the show.

Behind the stage is a smaller audience, who cannot actually see the show taking place, but they are given a play-by-play explanation of what’s taking place on the other side of the curtain.   That smaller audience is Congress.

Here’s where it gets interesting. (more…)

Let it never be said the New York Times is not filled to the brim with rabid leftist ideologues and defenders of all things liberal.…

New York Times. . .  Cowering politicians now even seem to regret their initial burst of joy that a prisoner was coming home. “A grateful nation welcomes him home,” said Representative Lee Terry, Republican of Nebraska, in a Twitter message on Sunday. The statement on his website was deleted a short time later. “Warmest regards to his family with gratitude for his/their service and sacrifice,” wrote Representative Stephen Lynch, Democrat of Massachusetts, in another quickly deleted tweet.

This duck-and-cover response is the result of the outrageous demonization of Sergeant Bergdahl in the absence of actual facts. Republican operatives have arranged for soldiers in his unit to tell reporters that he was a deserter who cost the lives of several soldiers searching for him. In fact, a review of casualty reports by Charlie Savage and Andrew Lehren of The Times showed there is no clear link between any military deaths and the search. (more…)

Fitting Day To listen to this Band of Brothers…

One other key aspect not getting as much attention as deserved stems from the avoidance of the legally required notification.

Telling congress about the potential move of Gitmo detainees in a POW swap is one part of the notification. However, the more important part of the law is the part which requires the President to state specifically why the action is being taken, what is the benefit, and what are the risks.  In addition the notification law requires the President to outline the details, the exact terms, inside the negotiated agreement that he’s made.

So, given the President has apologized for not informing congress, will the congressional leadership now demand the President produce the statutorily required information, albeit post facto?

If they don’t….. ask yourself “why not” ?