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 …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Mediaite and National Review
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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:
Power Line, Wall Street Journal, Mediaite and Associated Press
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, American Thinker, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Hot Air, The PJ Tatler, protein wisdom, Ed Driscoll, Twitchy and The Daily Beast
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 Hill, Washington Post, MiamiHerald.com, The Originalism Blog, rubber hose, Wall Street Journal, Politico and NBC News
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, TPNN, Washington Free Beacon, Slate, NY Daily News, Washington Post, The Dish and CNN
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, Just Security, Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, Mediaite, RedState, The Hill, Associated Press, PoliticusUSA, NBC News, Hot Air, Hinterland Gazette and Politico
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
The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Bergdahl's team leader: Intercepted radio chatter said he sought talks with the Taliban
Bergdahl's team leader: Intercepted radio chatter said he sought talks with the Taliban
Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
The Bowe Bergdahl Story Is Right-Wing Crack
The Bowe Bergdahl Story Is Right-Wing Crack
Discussion:
msnbc.com, ThinkProgress and Daily Mail
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, Hullabaloo, BuzzFeed, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and The PJ Tatler
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
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
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Defends Swap of Taliban for American P.O.W.
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 and National Review
Allen West / Allen B. West:
The case for impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama — This morning on WMALs “Morning on the Mall” radio show with hosts Brian and Larry I was asked a simple question relating to the Taliban prisoner release and impeachment of the president. I responded yes that in this current case …
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA, Washington Post and TPNN
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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
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
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
Megan R. Wilson / The Hill:
Warren nabs $525,000 book advance — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was paid more than a half-million dollar advance for her new book, according to financial disclosure forms. — The Democratic lawmaker and rock star of the left was paid $525,000 for the rights to “A Fighting Chance …
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, ThinkProgress, Wall Street Journal, The Week, Legal Planet, Guardian, Washington Post and Bloomberg View