Perhaps This Has Been Posted BUT I Just Saw This

[ChiciB1]

comment on my home page news. Bergdahl For Taliban Exchange Was Illegal. Looks like Hagel was testifying at some hearing that was posted.

Anyone know what's up? Didn't look like it was a Faux news report.

[CBGLuthier]

1. let me google that for you

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/bowe-bergdahl-deal-us-government-watchdog

The US defence department broke the law by failing to alert Congress before releasing five Taliban members held at Guantánamo Bay military prison in exchange for captured US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, a government watchdog agency said on Thursday.

The government accountability office (GAO) said the Pentagon violated US law by using money appropriated by Congress to carry out the transfer of Guantánamo prisoners without giving lawmakers the required 30-day notice.

[ChiciB1]

2. Thanks! What Happens NOW??? n/t

[Killeroctopus]

3. Impeachment proceedings when the Republicans take the Senate.

Then deep regret for impeachment proceedings when the Dems take the Presidency, House, and Senate.

[FSogol]

4. +1. Exactly. n/t

[VanillaRhapsody]

5. In other words.....

"Bring it"!

[PoliticAverse]

7. An indictment followed by an arrest of whoever broke the law?... (just kidding). n/t

[ieoeja]

6. DOD had two takes on this.

First an important point: GAO did not say the exchange was illegal. They said a law was violated while making the exchange. For an easily understood example of the difference, it is illegal for me to exceed the speed limit driving to the supermarket, but it is not illegal for me to shop at the supermarket. So I can violate the law while engaged in something perfectly legal.


On to the DOD's two takes on this:

1. Notification was only required if the transfer was not directly authorized by the law in question. Since the exchange was legal (see above), no notification was necessary.

2. Limiting Executive authority on this matter violated the constitutional Separation of Powers.


GAO ruled that nothing in the law said, or even implied, that notification was only necessary for transfers not directly authorized by the law. Ss stated above, the GAO did not rule on whether the exchange was legal or not because they considered that fact not germane to the ruling.

Constutionality of a law is not the GAO's purview and therefore irrelevant to their ruling. However, the GAO did opine that since the law was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Executive, the default position should be that it does not violate Separation of Powers since both Powers involved in this instance approved of the law in advance.


In summary, DOD says, "in our opinion it was legal." GAO says, "DOD is wrong". GAO generally gets the last word in these matters.

[GeorgeGist]

8. God I love legal eagles ...

GAO did not say the exchange was illegal. They said a law was violated while making the exchange.

[wandy]

9. This portion of the Saga of Sergent Bergdahl has been hashed out........

previously and appeared to amount to "immediate action was necessary".
In light of recent events involving ISIS, “the Taliban Five” is once again becoming a popular item on the "GOP Message of the Day" song list.
Getting air play on many Right Wing' outlets, I present the report from one of my favorite sources of misinformation.

In doing so, he reiterated a claim made by many in his party — as evidenced by the GOP-led House giving the go-ahead earlier this summer to sue Obama over executive orders — that the administration has often overreached its authority. “While the President has a habit of ignoring laws relating to domestic policy, such as health care and immigration, this latest overreach regarding our national security has dangerous implications,” Chambliss said. “The United States has a long-standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists for good reason, and these senior Taliban leaders will soon rejoin the fight.”

http://govtslaves.info/gao-investigation-pentagon-broke-law-bergdahl-prisoner-swap/

To be aware of the dittohead propaganda machine.

Edited to add, it would be interesting to know what the source was for this "new" news.

[ChiciB1]

10. Will It EVER End???

Down is Up, Up is Down, and there's a whirling pool of mud ready to sling whenever or where ever needed! It's look over here, no look over there, no look up, OH NO look down but maybe look over yonder!

Let's just keep throwing the spaghetti on the wall and keep everyone completely confused. I'm not even sure I know how to explain this to anyone, let alone try to defend the impossible. I think "I" understand some of it, but all anyone who hates Obama, the Government or the left will see is just ANOTHER thing to add to the pile of reasons to Impeach!

[wandy]

11. The GOP dittohead propaganda machine is a fascinating device........

For sure there is a large amount of 'throw sh---- ah,,, spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks and an amount of success can be expected. Of late they appear to know what will work.

Is it possible that the teapublican rank and file have been so well trained that all the spin masters need do is follow forums like freerepublic to plan how the next story should be written?

Consider Benghazi. Surely tragic but a quick look at history shows that things of that nature are one of the dangers of having embassies. Still it remains a major right wing news item.

No matter who wrote the article, the diseases carried by illegal immigrant children appears as an ordered list with precision usually reserved for technical specks.

Most of what the 'conservative' mind set 'knows' about the Michael Brown shooting was derived from a story told by a close friend(s) or a high level source(s) that wished to remain anonymous, passed on to a RW blog(s) so thinly disguised as to use almost the exact wording. Even at that, with no reliable source to hold accountable, corporate media accepted and passed along a considerable portion of the fairy-tail.

You have to wonder what they pay the person who writes the master 'copy'.

[ChiciB1]

12. There Are Times I Don't Want To Post Anything

simply because I know trolls check out web sites like this one just to see how their obfuscation of the truth is affecting others. There was a time, a long time ago, that I felt people would eventually see through so much of the nonsense and realize how the lies really hurt them in so many ways. Now my eyes are very wide open and can see that "ideology" is all that matters to them. Just put the blinders on, plug themselves into the message of the day from some leader who has become their God.

I know what I'm seeing and hearing but have yet to fully understand HOW their gullibility has been so pervasive and IMO is ruining this country. Voting against their own best interests just isn't something they're capable of understanding.

I've also had to realize that if they win the Senate, they'll start passing legislation that they've been told will help them and this country. Their euphoria will blind them long enough to shout the mantra they've been taught that it's all Obama's fault, Democrats and us leftists. The sad fact is that there will come a time that some may finally see the "squeeze" of oppression and it will be too late!

Yes, today I'm that cynical. I will say that I have days that I can ignore this reality, but deep down I know that the wrongs of the rich have a boot on my neck! And some days I think that the stuff we see coming from places like Ferguson will open their eyes. But there have been so many times that I "thought" the wrongs were going to do it before, and still I see little progress.

Oh my, didn't think I would go on so long... Gonna pack it in for today, tomorrow never comes you know.