The Obama administration has been given a great deal of flack for the Bergdahl trade, and rightfully so. It was both dangerous and illegal to trade him.
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Over the last few days, people have been calling out the Obama administration for the clearly illegal trade of a possible deserter in return for the five high profile Taliban operatives. One of the main attacks has been that the administration is incompetent. However, one has to question whether or not this is so.
Hanlon’s razor suggests that, barring additional information, it is reasonable to assume incompetence over malice. However, politicians, for the most part, are not incompetent. They know how people work. That’s why they can manipulate people into supporting them. Obama is no exception. He has been able to do too much and get away with it to simply be incompetent. So that leaves malice, and it is reasonable in this case to assume malign intent.
Government and War
If a government is allowed to act freely, it will seek out war. Government uses force to control resources, and war is the ultimate application of force. Many of the founders knew this, which is why the second amendment was created. However, even as much as the average person is willing to submit to government, there is still a lot of opposition to war. So the government needs an excuse.
Terrorist Excuse
Terrorism is already a significant justification for warfare. Releasing high profile terrorists to perpetuate continued acts of terror would simply provide further reason. In addition, there are some questions concerning the method in which the exchange took place. I don’t generally care for Glenn Beck, however his analysis of the exchange video is interesting. Everything about the video suggests that they were begging to be attacked. Why? Because such an attack would fuel outrage and perpetuate the war on terror.
Further Reading
1. Second Amendment: History and Purpose
2. Is the America Two Party System a Cult?