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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Sprinklers snuff Airport Chevrolet fire Medford Flea Market coming up Teen survives I-5 crash into semi truck Tree work to close lane on Biddle Road More rain in the forecast for today Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Sprinklers snuff Airport Chevrolet fire Teen survives I-5 crash into semi truck Emergency services Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door Central Point police arrest man in alleged September vehicle assault Politics and Elections Eagle Point might get on the bus Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Green Party won't back its own candidate Jobs at core of Oregon House race Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Education SOU student says free speech issue overblown SOU interim president leads in a different direction Medford school officials consider costs of full-day kindergarten Foundation kicks off ambitious 'Count Me In' fundraising campaign 100 hours and counting Environment Neighbors smell trouble in proposal to spread waste on Sams Valley farmland Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy Work begins on Southern Oregon's first dedicated mountain bike trail Applegate Dam hydroelectric project dead in water Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt State news Nation - World Obituaries Gary Wayne Campbell Carrol Allen Adams Dixie Alene Davis Kruggel Death Notices Robert Sherman Hathaway Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories North soccer edges South to create three-way SWC tie Challengers complete unbeaten league season Grizzlies pick up overtime victory Bumgarner, Giants jump all over Royals in opener On road to recovery, Marinovich finds painting Varsity 541 College Sports Shaw shoulders blame for Stanford's slide As SEC rules rankings, calls of #SECBias rise Oregon inches way back into playoff race UO’s Dargan sets the tone for improving defense Mariota keeps touchdown streak alive Pro Sports Bumgarner, Giants jump all over Royals in opener On road to recovery, Marinovich finds painting Cowboys release Sam from practice squad Top teams in regular season still in Chase hunt Blazers look to build on solid foundation Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Sportsman's Warehouse to add Klamath Falls store County OKs partnership to lead business recruitment People's Bank sees 64% net earnings gain New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food County's jobless rate unchanged in September Real Estate News New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford People In Business People in Business Transportation Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: McDonald’s profits drop Letters to the Editor, Oct. 22 Our view: Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced; Walden seems destined for permanent position Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House Editorials Our view: Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced; Walden seems destined for permanent position Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House Our view: Endorsements include Bates, Talbert, Hoppe Reversing course: Hoppe for judge Our view: With respect, our support goes to Bates Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 22 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 20 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 19 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 18 Guest Opinions Don't overlook importance of Jackson County commissioners race Measure 92 misleads rather than enlightens Oregonians have a right to know what's in their food Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? 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Teen survives I-5 crash into semi truck ... More rain in the forecast for today ... Sprinklers snuff Airport Chevrolet fire ... Teen survives I-5 crash into semi truck ... More rain in the forecast for today ... Obama's hard choices — in Bergdahl's case, it was obvious The exchange of five Guantanamo detainees for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has reminded us of three unpleasant facts of life: MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 5, 2014 @ 2:00 am Posted Jun. 5, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News The exchange of five Guantanamo detainees for the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has reminded us of three unpleasant facts of life: The United States does negotiate with terrorists; the president will circumvent laws as circumstances require; Republicans and Democrats will be summarily outraged as party affiliations seem to require. We might also add that processes will be "truncated," as President Obama described the exchange, and these are "hard choices," as Hillary Clinton put it, cleverly employing the title of her new book. Which is to say, war is tricky and we have no idea what we're willing to do until the ball is in our court. It is easier now to wish we had not invaded Iraq, given the absence of weapons of mass destruction. But in the wake of 9/11, when the Western world was convinced that Saddam Hussein had WMD, eliminating a destabilizing force in the region seemed to many a viable strategy. It seemed so to then-Sen. Clinton, who voted for the resolution to use military force against Iraq, but not to Barack Obama, then an Illinois state senator who didn't have to decide. As president — how time flies — Obama has followed through on his campaign promises to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq but not to close Guantanamo. Promises are sometimes harder to keep when the facts are in your face. Obama also has increased drone "warfare," eliminating enemies as well as civilians and at least one American citizen deemed to be a combatant without, shall we say, due process. So yes, he is the non-war president, except ... and he follows the law and protects the Constitution, unless ... and he wants to close Guantanamo, but encountered the same daunting obstacles that George W. Bush did. Yes, yes, Bush created the problem. Noted. To the point of this column, however, when Obama was faced with whether to release prisoners in exchange for Bergdahl, he was forced to make an executive decision. And yes, he sidestepped the law requiring 30 days' notification to Congress, but the law's timetable was untenable given the reportedly narrow window of opportunity. Whether the president indeed had been discussing the possibility with Congress remains a matter of dispute. A top GOP aide confirmed to me that no such discussion took place before last week's exchange and that when the idea was floated more than two years ago, it met with strong bipartisan opposition from congressional leaders. Obama has justified his decision on the basis of precedent — other presidents have released prisoners as wars wind down — and on the principle that we don't leave our people behind. Equivalency is a fragile argument here. Bush's wars and Obama's drones are clearly not the same, though you might find those in Afghanistan or Pakistan who would argue otherwise. And George Washington's release of British prisoners during the Revolutionary War can't be compared to freeing Taliban warriors. Rather than returning home to reclaim their civilian lives, jihadists likely return even more resolved to continue a war that ends only after everyone on the planet converts to Islam. What is often similar, however, is the moment of truth when a president has to make his own call because he thinks beyond reasonable doubt that it is the right decision. History doesn't always reward these decisions, but the titans of hindsight are usually compensated for style over content. It is possible that some of the current criticism is tied to partisan pride as well as the opening of old wounds. Seeing the five bearded detainees was a vivid reminder of 9/11 and its chief perpetrator, Osama bin Laden. The sight of Bergdahl's father, bearded and speaking Arabic and Pashto as he invoked Allah in the Rose Garden with the president, was both strange and creepy. Obama critics naturally saw the president's mouth tip in a smile, though it could be interpreted as a grimace. What was he to do, grab the microphone? Stare grimly at a father announcing the release of his boy after five years in captivity? There is nothing trivial about these events, but the questions raised are, nonetheless, "Homeland"-ishly intriguing: Did Bob Bergdahl convert to Islam? Did his son? Did Bowe Bergdahl abandon his post as fellow soldiers claim? Is he a traitor? Until the Army provides answers, we'll have to make do with speculation. Meanwhile, the only question that required an immediate response was, did the U.S. want Bergdahl back and what were we willing to trade? This was indeed a hard choice — and the answer had to be yes. Kathleen Parker, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, is a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writer's Group. Email her at [email protected]. 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