Impeachment?

[Dill]

(04-01-2019, 04:13 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Depending on when in 2014, that was the year Obama released 5 Taliban terrorists (including senior leadership that were linked to the death of US troops) for Bergdahl.

I don't throw around the I-word, but I will admit that releasing 5 known American-killing terrorists for a deserter had me mentioning it.

So depending on the time of the year that poll was, it could have been tapping on that sentiment.

Paul J. Springer has a good book on the subject of prisoner exchanges during U.S. wars.
https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Captives-Treatment-Revolutionary-Studies/dp/0700617175

I confess I don't see where this prisoner exchange rises to the level of impeachment. But I don't doubt some thought so. But it was part of a diplomatic attempt to resolve the current war in A-stan, which has cost the US and average of 45 billion a year since 2002, not to mention some 1800+ lives and 20,000+ seriously wounded. And you served, right?--"no man left behind."  

The 5 released Taliban aren't exactly scott free. They were sent to Doha under watch by the Qatari government--"country arrest" like house arrest. And as I understand it, they were designated as part of the Taliban's representation for peace talks. (I think they are still under country arrest, though I am not sure; in any case, they are in Doha negotiating with U.S. representatives there.)  I am not happy with the release of Noori and Fazi, as they were famed for killing Shia civilians, but i think their release was one of the conditions enabling direct talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. And the move seems to be working.    

All this was under the Obama plan, though, which Trump may not respect. I have worried that Trump could "cave" easily just to get the U.S. out of the war, or he could worsen matters by ramping up violence on the ground. If the latter it is possible we could lose whatever advantage we gained from the Bergdahl trade, even if the 5 aren't returned to the battlefield.  For the moment, it seems Trump is still pursuing the Obama negotiating strategy.  


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/world/asia/taliban-guantanamo-afghanistan-peace-talks.html