From the mouths of ideologues born in the shadows of Saul Alinsky:  “Isolate, Ridicule, Marginalize” 

WASHINGTON DC – White House aides have accused members of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s unit of “swift-boating” the 28-year-old Idahoan for claiming that he deserted his post in Afghanistan nearly five years ago, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd reported.

“I’ve had a few aides describe it to me as ‘we didn’t know that they were going to swift-boat Bergdahl’,” Todd said Wednesday.

The term “swift-boating” comes from 2004 when members of then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s Swift Boat unit came forward during the election to accuse him of misleading American voters about his service in Vietnam.  (read more)

Alas, there exists an unknown factor for a White House devoid of understanding military service.    Within the band of brothers there exists a unit cohesion impenetrable to the divisive tactics of Alinskyites.

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Forward video to @2:00 point for announcement and audience response.

“The Fixer” (left) and “Skippy” (right) have screwed the pooch on this Bergdahl fiasco.

TV Pundits are stuck in a pre-Obama political paradigm of opinion delivery as they proclaim the White House “had to know” the controversial issues surrounding Bowe Bergdahl prior to using him as a prop to turn around the opinion and polling of a failing Obama presidency.

“They can’t be that niave” is another favorite.   “Surely they had to know this would (__fill_in_blank__)”… etc.

Um, well, actually yes, yes they are *THAT* disconnected.    Yes, they actually did anticipate the Bergdahl release creating a national euphoria of patriotism and celebration.

Yes, they actually saw this as being another big effen’ deal – only they thought it would be a positive one.  No, they did not see this coming.

Those who think otherwise either do not, or have not, followed this White House communications team well enough.  (Looking at you David Gergen)

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(Via CBS) Questions persisted, too, about the circumstances of Bergdahl’s 2009 capture. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel declined to comment on earlier reports that the sergeant had walked away from his unit, disillusioned with the war. Such matters “will be dealt with later,” Hagel said.

Hagel, visiting troops in Afghanistan, was met with silence when he told a group of them in a Bagram Air Field hangar:

“This is a happy day. We got one of our own back.”

It was unclear whether the absence of cheers and applause came from a reluctance to display emotion in front of the Pentagon chief or from any doubts among the troops about Bergdahl.  (link)

*Update Below Fold* – Many are noting the inherent issues of the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap, and there are indeed many issues:  The non-consultation with congress; The ideology behind Robert Bergdahl;  The desertion from duty of then PFC Bowe Bergdahl;  The probability of the terrorists returning to attack Americans;   The various contradictions stemming from the White House, State Dept and Military; and perhaps more concerning the precedent now established for the U.S. actually negotiating with terrorists etc.

However, not withstanding -nor diminishing- all of those issues, another hits a deeper resonance.   If you give the benefit of all considerations and doubt to the administration, there’s one question they are neither being asked, nor have they reasonably stated.

Why make everything about the release, swap, exchange, so public ?

What was gained by such publicity in a weekend Rose Garden speech?  What policy was improved?  What military or foreign policy benefitted from telling the entire world what was happening, when it was happening, and how we did it?

It is entirely possible for the release to have assured and delivered without all of the publicity surrounding it.   Bowe Bergdahl’s release could have been done quietly, with press release and WH communication after the event.   Why was it considered a better course to put on such a public display?   What exactly was the benefit?

Some brave journalist should put those simple questions to the administration, and keep asking why ?   Then find out who made the decision. (more…)

(Via Right Scoop) The first and most obvious comment from Bowe Bergdahl’s father, Bob Bergdahl, was at the White House presser on Saturday. Walid Shoebat and company put this video together that shows us a couple of things.

First, what’s been said to be an Islamic greeting is in fact the most famous war cry of Islam called the “Bismillah” or the “Basmallah”. It sounds like this: “bismillah al-rahman al-rahim” which means in Arabic “in the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful.”

Walid Shoebat says this about it:

The “Basmallah” is the Islamic expression for victory and only indicates that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s father is a Muslim. …When one gives the basmallah, trims his mustache and elongates his beard, its the first sign of a convert to Islam.

Now watch the video they put together and notice Obama grins ear to ear when he hears the “Basmallah”:

Continue reading

This is what happens when you have multiple agencies within the administration all working from politically flawed McDonough/Jarrett/Rhodes and communication room “talking points”.

The White House constructs a specific and complex narrative.   The message is then transmitted to State Dept.   The State Dept is then selling that narrative “detained while in combat“, even when the White House (Carney) backs away from it.

WATCH:

We saw the exact same thing happen with the Benghazi story.  As mentioned yesterday this is the exact consequence from using the political outlook of any event to shape your outward messaging.

When you are using politics, or more specifically political risk, as the common consideration to create your message – when the politics of the message turn against you it becomes necessary to shift positions.

The trouble stems with the communication lag between the political shifts toward each accompanying agency. When you shift position the others don’t yet know, that separation creates the double-speak and contradiction.

It only happens when you politicize your position. The more you use politics as the filter to determine your message, the worse, and more frequent, the visible contradiction(s) become.

James Rosen – A senior official confirms to Fox News that the conduct of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl — both in his final stretch of active duty in Afghanistan and then, too, during his time when he lived among the Taliban — has been thoroughly investigated by the U.S. intelligence community and is the subject of “a major classified file.”

In conveying as much, the Defense Department source confirmed to Fox News that many within the intelligence community harbor serious outstanding concerns not only that Bergdahl may have been a deserter but that he may have been an active collaborator with the enemy.

The Pentagon official added pointedly that no relevant congressional committee has sought access to the classified file, but that if such a request were made, key committee chairs would, under previous precedent, likely be granted access to it. Separately, the Pentagon confirmed Monday that it is looking into claims Americans died during the search for Bergdahl.  (more…)

Perhaps, just perhaps, through the Bergdahl release, people will begin to see the intentional deception the Obama Administration brought not only to the body politic, but also to the military.

•  2012 Benghazi survivors forced to sign confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements to protect the administration from sunlight – while President Obama and Hillary Clinton lie to the families of rescue victims about what took place…..

•  2009 Berghdahl’s unit forced to sign confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements to protect the administration from sunlight – while President Obama Inc. lie to families of rescue victims about what took place….

Noticing a pattern ?

•  2011 President Obama going to War in Libya, then staying there beyond the legally authorized (War Powers Act 30 days), defying his own office of legal counsel by not notifying congress or requesting authorization.

•  2014 President Obama entering a prisoner exchange agreement, without notifying congress, the intelligence committee, or House/Senate Leadership, within the legally mandated 30 days, or requesting authorization.

Noticing a pattern ?

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