Say Hello To the Five Identified Taliban Prisoners Released by Barack Obama from GITMO in Exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl … Meet the GITMO 5

The Taliban FIVE released from GITMO have been identified.

Yesterday, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only living POW held by the Taliban in Afghanistan was freed in exchange for five Afghan detainees from GITMO. Barack Obama was quick to take the praise yesterday and use phrases that began with an “I”.     The president stated Bowe’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield, which may have the have an asterisk after it. Who is to say that terrorists do not try an do the same? As reported at TWS, now it is time to meet the GITMO 5, five of the most dangerous Taliban commanders in U.S. custody.

1. Mullah Mohammad Fazl (Taliban army chief of staff)
2. Mullah Norullah Noori (senior Taliban military commander)
3. Abdul Haq Wasiq (Taliban deputy minister of intelligence):
4. Khairullah Khairkhwa (Taliban governor of the Herat province and former interior minister)
5. Mohammed Nabi (senior Taliban figure and security official)

More from The Weekly Standard: Five of the Most Dangerous Taliban Commanders in U.S. Custody Exchanged for American Captive.

The Taliban has long demanded that the “Gitmo 5” be released in order for peace talks to begin in earnest. The Obama administration has desperately sought to engage the Taliban as American forces are drawn down in Afghanistan, but those talks have gone nowhere to this point.  At first, the administration set preconditions for the talks, including that the Taliban break its relationship with al Qaeda. When it became clear that this was a non-starter, the administration decided to make the Taliban’s desired break with al Qaeda a goal, and no longer a precondition, for its diplomacy.

There is little hope that the peace talks will be more successful now. But the president seems to believe that Bergdahl’s exchange for the Gitmo 5 (who are reportedly being transferred to Qatar) may break the ice. “While we are mindful of the challenges, it is our hope Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery could potentially open the door for broader discussions among Afghans about the future of their country by building confidence that it is possible for all sides to find common ground,” Obama said in his statement.

The Obama administration says that security measures have been put into place to make sure that the Gitmo 5 do not pose a threat to American national security. Let’s hope that is true; it certainly has not been the case with many ex-Gitmo detainees in the past.

Taliban Detainees Turned Over by U.S. in Bergdahl Deal:

MOHAMMED FAZL: A February 2008 Pentagon document said Fazlserved as Taliban deputy minister of defense and as a seniorcommander who was chief of staff of the Taliban army. The U.S.military said he was wanted by the United Nations for possiblewar crimes including the murder of thousands of Afghanistan’sminority Shi’ite Muslims between 1998 and 2001. It said he wasborn in 1967 in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province. According toU.S. military documents, Fazl was also on the scene of aNovember 2001 prison riot that killed CIA operative JohnnyMicheal Spann, the first American who died in combat in theAfghan war. There is no evidence, however, that Fazl played anydirect role in Spann’s death.

MULLAH NORULLAH NOORI: A February 2008 Pentagon document said Noori was a senior Taliban military commander in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif during fighting in late 2001 after the U.S. invasion. It said he also was the Taliban governor for two provinces and was wanted by the United Nations for possible war crimes including the murder of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims. It said he was born in 1967 in Afghanistan’s Zabul province.

KHAIRULLAH KHAIRKHWA: A March 2008 Pentagon document said Khairkhwa was a senior Taliban official serving as the minister of interior, governor of Herat and a military commander. It said that after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, he represented the Taliban during meetings with Iranian officials seeking to support hostilities against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. It said he was born in 1967 in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

ABDUL HAQ WASIQ: A January 2008 Pentagon document said Wasiq served as the Taliban deputy minister of intelligence. “He was central to the Taliban’s efforts to form alliances with other Islamic fundamentalist groups to fight alongside the Taliban against U.S. and Coalition forces after the 11 September2001 attacks,” the document said. It said he was born in 1971 in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.

MOHAMMED NABI: A January 2008 Pentagon document said Nabi was a senior Taliban official who “served in multiple leadership roles.” It said he “maintained weapons caches and facilitated the smuggling of fighters and weapons.” It said he was born in1968 in Afghanistan’s Khost province.

UPDATE I: What the hell was this TWEET from father of released Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

Below is the tweet from Bob Bergdahl’s account, which was published May 28 and was deleted Saturday night.  Imagine that? He us still working to free all GITMO prisoners, what is up with this? God will repay the death of every Afghan child? Why didn’t the father of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl just end his tweet with allahu akbar?

FBI and SEC Probe into Insider Trading Investigation of Carl Icahn, Billy Walters & PGA’s Phil Mickelson

Investor, Bettor, and Golfer Investigated for Insider Trading, Oh My!!!

The NY Times is reporting that federal authorities are investigating a series of well-timed trades made by PGA golfer Phil Mickelson and the gambler William T. Walters, focusing on trading in two different stocks from 2011 and 2012. The Feds are looking into whether Mickelson and Walters may have traded illegally on private information provided by billionaire investor Carl Icahn about his investments in public corporations. The stock trades in question are with Clorox in 2011 and Dean Foods in 2012.  As reported at the Business Insider Mickelson stated, “I have done absolutely nothing wrong. I have cooperated with the government in this investigation and will continue to do so.”

Federal authorities are examining a series of well-timed trades made by the golfer Phil Mickelson and the gambler William T. Walters, people briefed on the investigation said, focusing on trading in two different stocks. The authorities are also questioning what role, if any, the investor Carl C. Icahn may have had in sharing information about one of the stocks: the consumer products company Clorox.

Mr. Mickelson, a three-time winner of the Masters golf tournament and one of the country’s highest-earning athletes, placed his Clorox trade in 2011, the people briefed on the investigation said. Mr. Walters, an owner of golf courses who is often considered the most successful sports bettor in the country, made a similar trade about that time, the people added.

Mr. Icahn, a 78-year-old billionaire and one of the best-known investors in the world, was mounting a takeover bid for Clorox around the time that Mr. Mickelson and Mr. Walters placed their trades.

The F.B.I. and Securities and Exchange Commission, which are leading the inquiry along with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, are examining whether Mr. Icahn leaked details of his Clorox bid to Mr. Walters, the people briefed on the investigation said. One theory, the people said, is that Mr. Walters might have passed that information to Mr. Mickelson.

Hillary Clinton Has Secret (MEETING) Lunch with Barack Obama at the White House

THE SECRET OBAMA-HILLARY MEETING THAT BECAME A LUNCH …

So when is a secret meeting, not a meeting? When it is between current President Barack Obama and wannabe 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. The unannounced lunch came to light thanks to People Magazine, which tweeted a photograph of its Washington bureau chief, political reporter Sandra Sobieraj Westfal and Hillary Clinton.  However, People later deleted the tweet after it gained considerable attention among reporters. Not so fast … Washington Examiner White House Correspondent Susan Crabtree got the screenshot of the tweet.  The magazine later republished the Tweet, changing “mtg” to “lunch.” So why the secrecy of the meeting lunch? But the media is never in the tank for libs, are they?

I guess this is just more of that Obama administration transparency. Wow, do we really need a 3rd Obama term? Better yet, can America survive a 3rd Obama term.

Obama tells Hillary, the Grandmother of Obamacare, so then in order to get it passed I told the Sheeple that if they liked their healthcare plan, they could keep it, ah, ha, ha.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a secret lunch with President Barack Obama on Thursday — an unannounced meeting sure to fuel extensive speculation at a time when she’s widely expected to seek his job in 2016.

“The president enjoyed an informal, private lunch with Secretary Clinton at the White House this afternoon,” a White House official told Yahoo News on condition of anonymity.

The get-together was not on Obama’s public schedule. Word of the lunch emerged thanks to People Magazine, which tweeted a photograph of its Washington bureau chief, veteran political reporter Sandra Sobieraj Westfall, standing with Clinton, apparently at the former first lady’s home in Washington

Department of VA Inspector General Report Confirms Allegations that VA Health Clinics Cooked the Books Delaying Treatment to VETS an Average of 155 Days

VA SCANDAL … It is as bad as first thought and this is only the tip of the iceberg of a systemic issue throughout the Veterans Administration.

The WAPO is reporting that the allegations against the VA have been substantiated by a recent independent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office. The report focused mainly on the Phoenix clinic, where recent allegations of records manipulation came to public knowledge and scrutiny. However, the problem is not just in Phoenix, it is every where. The inappropriate scheduling practices are systemic throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Even with bi-partisan calls for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign, he has not done so yet. However, this is only a matter of time. First thought weeks and then maybe days, the VA scandal has become so bad and wide-spread, that calls from all sides that it may be hours.

Department of Veteran Affairs IG report (pdf.)

However, the problem is not just Shinseki and is not the only one that needs to go. There are many within the VA who probably needs to be tried criminally. No one does not think that Gen. Shinseki is not a patriot and we thank him for his tremendous military service to the United States; however, that does not make him a concomitant administrator and for that he needs to be replaced.  However Barack Obama continues to stand behind Shinseki as no one in the Obama Administration is ever held accountable for scandals and incompetence.

An independent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office substantiates recent allegations that VA health clinics used inappropriate scheduling practices that concealed treatment delays — lasting an average of 115 days in a sampling of patients — and boosted performance measures that help determine whether bonuses are deserved.

The report said 1,700 veterans using a Phoenix VA hospital were kept on unofficial wait lists, adding that “these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix HCS’s convoluted scheduling process.”

Official VA data showed that 226 patients in a sampling from the Phoenix clinic had waited just 24 days on average for their first primary care appointments. But the inspector general’s office determined that those veterans had actually waited an average of 115 days.

The unofficial wait lists may represent the “secret” list that whistleblowers claim the Phoenix clinic used to cover up treatment delays, according to the report.

HA, HA, HA … Megyn Kelly Roasts Joe Scarborough as He Shills his Book ‘The Right Path’ … Have Fun with Your ‘Four Viewers’

ALL FOUR VIEWERS, HA,HA,HA … COME ON MEGYN, YOU KNOW THEY HAVE NINE.

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, co-host of ‘The Morning Joe,’ appeared on ‘The Kelly File’ with Megyn Kelly to promote his new book, “The Right Path,” or so he thought. There was some political discussion of his book; however, it pretty much turned into a fun-filled roast of Joe Scarborough. As Megyn Kelly ended the interview with Joe she said, “If you want to see more of Joe you can join his four views tomorrow morning … make it five. OUCH!!! Prompting Scarborough to say, “You sure are having a good time here. You really are.” However, this was all done in fun, nothing mean spirited.

As Scarborough tried to steer the conversation back towards politics, Kelly couldn’t resist continuing the roast. Even when she plugged his book, she made sure to note how Fox News has “so many viewers,” insinuating he came to the right place to promote it.

Then she went after his show’s ratings.

“Thanks for being here,” Kelly began. “You want to see more of Joe, you can join his four viewers and see it tomorrow morning… No, just kidding.”

Click on pic to watch VIDEO from Mediaite: Image via Screen Grab

Mediaite:

An MSNBC host appeared on Fox News tonight. No, you’re not reading this from a parallel universe where dogs walk humans, that actually happened. Joe Scarborough appeared on Megyn Kelly‘s show to plug his new book, and the interview quickly turned into a roast where Kelly got in a few barbs at Scarborough’s expense.

Scarborough complimented Kelly on his set, at which point she shot back, “There’s still a blond woman on the set interrupting you at every turn.” And, referencing one of Scarborough’s worst moments, she warned, “If you snap your fingers at me, you’d have eight fingers instead of ten.”