Obama was right to strike a deal to bring Bowe Bergdahl home, but should have adopted a lower-key approach to the prisoner swap

At the end of May, President Obama announced that a deal had been struck to free Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from captivity in exchange for the release of five Taliban commanders. Obama has come under heavy criticism for the decision, as questions have surfaced concerning Bergdahl’s disappearance and service record. Daniel Strieff argues that Obama was right in making the deal to free Bergdahl, but erred in treating it as a celebratory moment. He writes that Obama should have focused on his commitment to bring home all American prisoners of war, rather than on Bergdahl’s military service and his parents.