Ah, our veterans. You can't disparage them. Unless you are Dana. Then
if your name is Bowe, it's alright. Roll that beautiful bean footage:
In the clip above, Dana is reacting to Bill Maher when he said the release of prisoners was, "kinda illegal". Well, it was, kinda. There is a law in place stating Obama would need to give congress 30 days notice before releasing prisoners. Is that law enforceable in this case? Probably not, as it violates Presidential powers, specifically protection of American citizens abroad. Don't take my word for it, take Jack Goldsmith's word. He served as a lawyer under Bush for the DOD and the DOJ, and he states that (from Time Magazine), "...Obama may have been acting legally. On the website Lawfare Tuesday he wrote, “If the statute impinged on an exclusive presidential power, the president properly disregarded it and did not violate it.”" So, kinda is actually right, in this case. Especially since there is video evidence Bowe Bergdahl looked near death.
She then pivots to an article in the New York... er... Los Angeles Times titled: Maybe we should thank Mexico for intercepting that armed ex-Marine, by this one chick (I've been told they don't like to be called that) Robin Abcarian. Granted, that's not the most diplomatic of titles. In the story, we learn quite a lot more than Dana is willing to let on. Dana even disparages the article as being written with, emotional zeal and personal prejudice. That's kinda like saying, "pot, this is the kettle, you are black". Except you are saying it to a refrigerator, and it is white. While Dana's emotional zeal and personal prejudice shine through in the clip above, Miss Abcarian's article explores a few of the facts in question.
In Andrew Tahmooressi we have a man who crossed the border with guns that are illegal in Mexico. Upon authorities finding out about this, they take him into custody. He tries to escape twice, and inflicts harm upon himself. He is eventually moved to a better prison. He's had 50 visits, and a TV interview since his incarceration. And it looks as if he's been in Mexico a few times before (thank you Tony Perry).
The underlying facts are not good. A crime is a crime, he didn't just kinda carry guns across the border. He didn't just kinda try and escape from prison (twice). Take away that he's a veteran, and most of the current sympathy crowd would forget he exists. They may actually accuse him of running guns for Eric Holder. But as a vet, it doesn't matter how many crimes he may have committed. That makes him a saint.
I guess I should get on about how I believe the cases of Bowe Bergdahl and Andrew Tahmooressi are not the same. Well, Bowe more than likely walked away from his platoon, Andrew more than likely committed crimes, then tried to walk away from them. In Bowe's case, why he walked away is not known with any certainty. In Andrew's case, why he crossed the border is not known with any certainty. Heck, there are a lot of similarities.
But here's the crux of it all. Bowe was at war, Andrew was not. Bowe was held by enemy combatants, Andrew is not. Bowe was incommunicado, so his whereabouts and health were in doubt. Andrew has had 50 visits from family, lawyers, consulate members, etc, and his health is not in question. Bowe was held because he was an American, an enemy. Andrew is being held for the crimes he is accused of committing.
The Obama administration is doing all it can to either gain the release of Andrew Tahmooressi, or at least ensure him a fair trial under Mexican law. If they could gain his release tomorrow, I am sure they would do everything in their power to do so. To paint this debate as we love a deserter, but hate our veterans, is like calling a white refrigerator black. It may make you feel better, but it is far from the truth. And Dana, since one of your guiding principles is to, "gird your loins with truth", don't you think your listeners deserve some in this case?
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