One sure sign that President Obama is losing his edge: His lies are being exposed almost as soon as they come out of his mouth.
After he promised that the five Taliban terrorists sent to Qatar would be “monitored,” a Qatari official said the United States would have no role in watching them and they would be allowed to move freely around for a year and then go back to Afghanistan.
[pullquote]
Oh, well. How about the part where Obama insisted that releasing the Taliban leaders did not pose a national-security risk? He’s hedging on that already himself.
As he put it Tuesday, “Is there the possibility of some of them trying to return to activities that are detrimental to us? Absolutely. That’s been true of all the prisoners who have been released from Guantanamo.”
When it comes to the American soldier in the deal, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Obama’s sweeping claims sound especially fishy. “Regardless of circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American prisoner back,” the president said. “We don’t condition that.”
We certainly should condition that, and for Obama to say we never have isn’t likely to stand scrutiny. Apart from Bergdahl’s family, it’s hard to imagine much support for releasing terrorist leaders during the war in exchange for a soldier who deserted or was a traitor. And the questions about Bergdahl are only beginning.
Of course, there is another sign that White House claims won’t hold water. Aide Susan Rice reprised her infamous Benghazi lie by going on TV Sunday and declaring that Bergdahl “served with honor and distinction.” That’s clearly false.
To save her reputation the next time she’s called on to mislead the public, Rice ought to bat her eyes in Morse code to say, “Help me.”
To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column in the New York Post, click here.
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.