Top Items:
Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:
Senate Democrats Go AWOL — On Sunday, Senator Claire McCaskill gave a full-throated defense of the president's decision to release five Taliban commanders from the Guantanamo prison in exchange for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. “We saved this man's life. The commander-in-chief acted within …
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Massimo Calabresi / TIME:
White House Overrode Internal Objections To Taliban Prisoner Release — Pentagon, Intelligence officials used Top Secret intelligence to prevent previous release of Taliban Five, officials tell TIME. — To pull off the prisoner swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl …
Discussion:
National Review, The Federalist, Hot Air, Mediaite, American Thinker, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, protein wisdom, Ed Driscoll, Twitchy and The Daily Beast
NY Daily News:
Surrender without honor — Obama swap with Taliban endangers the country — President Obama betrayed the highest obligation of his office — safeguarding national security — in trading five hard-core Taliban for the American serviceman who appears to have deserted in Afghanistan.
Discussion:
Mediaite
New York Times:
Deal to Free Bowe Bergdahl Puts Obama on Defensive — WASHINGTON — The White House argued on Tuesday that the “unique circumstances” presented by the opportunity to return Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl gave President Obama the authority to lawfully bypass a federal statute requiring the Pentagon …
Discussion:
The Originalism Blog, Weekly Standard, The Huffington Post, Washington Post and Lawfare
New York Times:
Can Bowe Bergdahl Be Tied to 6 Lost Lives? Facts Are Murky — WASHINGTON — Did the search for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl cost the lives of American soldiers? — Since last weekend's prisoner exchange in which Afghan insurgents turned over Sergeant Bergdahl after five years of captivity …
Discussion:
Prairie Weather, Mashable, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, TPNN, The Dish and CNN
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
What if Team Obama had just told the truth about Bowe Bergdahl? — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL SUSAN RICE BOWE BERGDAHL — Bill Clinton's critics in Arkansas used to say that he would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth.
Discussion:
Townhall.com and Betsy's Page
Josh Rogin / The Daily Beast:
Hillary Clinton Was Skeptical of Taliban-Bergdahl Swap — In 2011 and 2012, Hillary Clinton's State Department negotiated directly with the Taliban over a swap for Bowe Bergdahl, but Clinton was not a fan of the idea. — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was personally and intensely involved …
Discussion:
New York Times, Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, Mediaite, RedState, Associated Press, The Hill, PoliticusUSA, Just Security, NBC News, Hot Air and Hinterland Gazette
The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Bergdahl's team leader: Intercepted radio chatter said he sought talks with the Taliban — (CNN) - Former Army Sgt. Evan Buetow was the team leader with Bowe Bergdahl the night Bergdahl disappeared. — “Bergdahl is a deserter, and he's not a hero,” says Buetow. “He needs to answer for what he did.”
Brian Beutler / The New Republic:
Conservative Critics of the Bergdahl-Taliban Swap Have Some Explaining to Do
Conservative Critics of the Bergdahl-Taliban Swap Have Some Explaining to Do
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, PoliticusUSA, Talking Points Memo and The Daily Caller
Allen West / Allen B. West:
The case for impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama
The case for impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama
Discussion:
Washington Post, TPNN and Daily Mail
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
WH apologizes to Senate intel chief for prisoner swap secret
WH apologizes to Senate intel chief for prisoner swap secret
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Hinterland Gazette, Business Insider, Viking Pundit and National Review
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Former POW McCain: Bergdahl Prisoner Swap A ‘Mistake’
Former POW McCain: Bergdahl Prisoner Swap A ‘Mistake’
Discussion:
BREITBART.COM, ThinkProgress, Washington Post and Mediaite
John Parkinson / ABC News:
John Boehner Demands Answers From Obama on Bowe Bergdahl Prisoner Exchange
John Boehner Demands Answers From Obama on Bowe Bergdahl Prisoner Exchange
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Beast, ABC News, abc7chicago.com and National Review
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Conservatives Go From Zero To Impeachment In Record Time On Bergdahl
Conservatives Go From Zero To Impeachment In Record Time On Bergdahl
Discussion:
Daily Mail, PoliticusUSA and Daily Oklahoman
Elahe Izadi / NationalJournal.com:
Dianne Feinstein Disappointed Lawmakers Not Given 30-Day Notice on Bergdahl Swap
Dianne Feinstein Disappointed Lawmakers Not Given 30-Day Notice on Bergdahl Swap
Discussion:
Roll Call, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Obsidian Wings, BuzzFeed, Mediaite, Outside the Beltway, The PJ Tatler and Hot Air
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Defends Swap of Taliban for American P.O.W.
Fred Kaplan / Slate:
What People Don't Understand About the Bergdahl Deal
What People Don't Understand About the Bergdahl Deal
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Daily Mail, The Dish, Firedoglake and Washington Monthly
Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed:
Republican Strategist Helped Organize Bergdahl Critics
Republican Strategist Helped Organize Bergdahl Critics
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, American Spectator, PoliticusUSA, Mercury Rising, Hullabaloo, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Guardian, National Review, The Daily Caller, Gawker, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Free Beacon, NPR, The PJ Tatler, Talking Points Memo, RedState and Politico
The Clarion-Ledger:
Cochran, McDaniel: Runoff likely — A runoff appeared likely in the GOP Senate primary between six-term incumbent Thad Cochran and tea party challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel on Tuesday night — A runoff appeared likely in the GOP Senate primary between six-term incumbent Thad Cochran …
Discussion:
WREG-TV and New York Times
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madmagazine.com:
Barack Obama's Unfortunate New Movie — Recently, President Obama exchanged five Taliban leaders for an American POW, Bowe Bergdahl. One prisoner for five is an iffy trade to begin with — but even moreso when it was revealed that Bergdahl had deserted his post.
Discussion:
Power Line, NewsBusters and Ed Driscoll
Cameron Joseph / The Hill:
Iowa primary sets up top Senate battle — Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst (R) has won her primary, setting up a key Senate battle against Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa). — The Associated Press has called the race for Ernst, who had 53 percent of the vote with 24 percent of precincts reporting.
Discussion:
Des Moines Register, Scared Monkeys and CNN
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CNN:
GOP race down to the wire in Mississippi
GOP race down to the wire in Mississippi
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Politico and Outside the Beltway
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Don't Harsh Our Mellow, Dude — The caramel-chocolate flavored candy bar looked so innocent, like the Sky Bars I used to love as a child. — Sitting in my hotel room in Denver, I nibbled off the end and then, when nothing happened, nibbled some more. I figured if I was reporting …
Discussion:
Capital New York, The Week, The Huffington Post, Gawker, Business Insider, Balloon Juice, The Latest Word, National Review and Firedoglake
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
THE BERGDAHL CHRONICLES: WELCOME HOME, CREEP … Over at the intersection of Unemployable Boulevard and Legacy Hire Way, the kidz and their recess monitors are busily fashioning a yellow ribbon into a noose for Bowe Bergdahl, whom they congratulate for being home so that they can calumnize him …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and National Review
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Andrew McCarthy / National Review:
The Taliban Swap and ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’
The Taliban Swap and ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’
Discussion:
NPR
Jonathan Chait Follow / New York Magazine:
Conservatives Searching for New Reasons Not to Save Planet — They are on the cusp of a breakthrough. — The Wall Street Journal editorial page today has a predictably scathing take on President Obama's climate-change plan. In a brief aside to the main argument — regulation baaaaad …
Discussion:
The Federalist, Grist, Hot Air, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, ThinkProgress, Legal Planet, The Week, Guardian, Washington Post and Bloomberg View