memeorandum: Oliver North (Yes, Oliver North) Accuses Obama Of ‘Financing A Terrorist Organization’ With Bergdahl Release (Brian Tashman/Right Wing Watch)

11:15 AM ET, June 4, 2014

Top Items:

Why Team Obama Was Blindsided by the Bergdahl Backlash — Congratulations, Mr. President! And identical congrats to your sorcerer's apprentice, National Security Adviser Susan Rice. By trying to sell him as an American hero, you've turned a deserter already despised by soldiers …

Discussion: VodkaPundit

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: Washington Post, susiemadrak.com, The Week, Mediaite, Mashable, Prairie Weather, Outside the Beltway, Washington Free Beacon and NY Daily News

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Prisoner swap blows up on White House — The Obama administration has apologized for bypassing Congress before it released senior Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay as part of a controversial prisoner exchange. — The expression of regret was a major shift for the White House …

Discussion: Josh Blackman's Blog, Washington Post and Politico

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, Politico, US Department of State, The Daily Caller, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, Mediaite, RedState, The Hill, Associated Press, PoliticusUSA, Just Security and NBC News

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:

The Bowe Bergdahl Story Is Right-Wing Crack — Never mind that Bush would have done the same as Obama. Republicans are hitting the pipe big time on the ‘deserter’—and their creepy bottom line is that he should have been left to die. — I was amazed but not surprised by my Twitter feed Monday.

Discussion: msnbc.com, New York Magazine, RedState, ThinkProgress, Hinterland Gazette, NewsHounds blog, Daily Mail and Firedoglake

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, Associated Press and Mediaite

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

Wall Street Journal:

Secret Videos Prompted Bowe Bergdahl Taliban Prisoner Swap — Rapid Deterioration of Soldier's Health Persuaded Leaders to Back Exchange — Two secret videos showing rapid deterioration in Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's health persuaded reluctant military and intelligence leaders to back the prisoner swap …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and NBC News

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: The Daily Caller, The Daily Beast, Hot Air, Mediaite, ABC News and National Review

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: AMERICAblog News, Infowars, TheBlaze.com, Hullabaloo and National Review

Brian Beutler / The New Republic:
Conservative Critics of the Bergdahl-Taliban Swap Have Some Explaining to Do

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, PoliticusUSA, Daily Kos, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller and BuzzFeed

Fox News:
Taliban release video showing handover of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

Discussion: TPNN, The Gateway Pundit and Fox News Insider

Massimo Calabresi / TIME:
White House Overrode Internal Objections To Taliban Prisoner Release

Discussion: Fox News, The Federalist, National Review, American Thinker, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, protein wisdom, Ed Driscoll, Twitchy and The Daily Beast

New York Times:
Deal to Free Bowe Bergdahl Puts Obama on Defensive

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Just Security, MiamiHerald.com, The Originalism Blog, rubber hose, Politico, Outside the Beltway and The Huffington Post

Michelle Malkin / Townhall.com:
Exclusive: The Story You Haven't Yet Heard About Bowe Bergdahl's Desertion

Discussion: Patterico's Pontifications and Washington Free Beacon

Brian Tashman / Right Wing Watch:
Oliver North (Yes, Oliver North) Accuses Obama Of ‘Financing A Terrorist Organization’ With Bergdahl Release

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, BREITBART.COM and Daily Kos

The Lead with Jake Tapper:
Bergdahl's team leader: Intercepted radio chatter said he sought talks with the Taliban

Discussion: Business Insider, CANNONFIRE, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, Independent Journal Review, VodkaPundit, Hot Air, ParaPundit, Jack Shafer, Patterico's Pontifications, The PJ Tatler and CNN

Politico:
5 questions for the White House on Bowe Bergdahl

Discussion: Mediaite and News Desk

Andrew McCarthy / National Review:
The Taliban Swap and ‘High Crimes and Misdemeanors’

Discussion: The Hill

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: Politico, Talking Points Memo, Althouse, JustOneMinute, The Week, The Huffington Post, Capital New York, Gawker, Business Insider, Twitchy and Balloon Juice

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: Fox News, Taylor Marsh, WREG-TV, Taegan Goddard's … and New York Times

Associated Press:
Miss. GOP Senate Candidates Face Likely Runoff

Discussion: Politico and Hot Air

David Weigel / Slate:
Thad Cochran and the Age Issue That No One Wants to Talk About

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Real Clear Politics, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Monthly, Yahoo! News, Wall Street Journal and American Spectator

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 and Scared Monkeys

James Hohmann / Politico:
Joni Ernst wins Iowa GOP Senate primary

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Week and CNN

CNN:
GOP race down to the wire in Mississippi

Discussion: Politico, Yahoo! News and Outside the Beltway

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: The PJ Tatler, Power Line, NewsBusters and Ed Driscoll

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 …

Discussion: Taegan Goddard's …

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, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post, Daily Oklahoman, TPNN and Salon