Let Bowe Bergdahl Negotiate Release of Americans by Taliban

First, name him Ambassador to Afghanistan.  O.K., that’s being silly.  On the other hand he could do a service for his country.

The Taliban know him.  They know he poses no personal threat.  They also know he wasn’t fully behind the allied mission.  Maybe he can negotiate the departure of any American left behind following the deadline.  Here me out on this idea.

It could go a long way in rehabilitating his reputation with a large swath of his countrymen and women.  Many believe his actions were traitorous and caused the deaths of Americans who went searching for him after he left his post.

Ever hear the name Nathan Leopold, Jr.?  He was a notorious thrill-killer from the 1920s.  He was sentenced to life in prison.  While there, he decided it was time to atone.  He worked to improve prison conditions and he decided he needed to help his country during World War Two.  He volunteered to be infected with malaria in order to test treatments.  It may have saved the lives of some of our troops fighting in the Pacific.

Quite possibly Bergdahl would want nothing to do with the Taliban.  He has pursued a low profile.  Yet, this could be a way for personal reckoning.

There will be the usual responses to this story by people insisting he should long ago have dangled from a rope.  But he didn’t.  Now we’ve got people behind enemy lines.  The Secretary of State pegs the figure under 400 but we’re dealing with a government attempting to minimize disaster.  If we’re talking thousands and Bergdahl could bring them out, why wouldn’t we give it a try?