Bowe Bergdahl’s lawyers want charges dropped after ‘meddling’ by John McCain

[MADem]

3. I agree. He's guilty AND stupid, AND mentally unwell, and his sentence should be "time served."

We have done this before, shown mercy in the 'fog of war' -- and for people who have done far worse.

BB was a low quality recruit from the get-go--he washed out of the Coast Guard. The Army should not have touched him with that proverbial ten foot pole. If he couldn't handle CG recruit training, he sure as hell couldn't handle deployment to a war zone. He was unable to work/play well with others, or do what junior people have to do--which is take orders.

That said, five years with the Taliban is enough. Mercy is called for.

This guy did horrific crimes and got away with house arrest, in essence--surely we can cut BB some slack:

Calley, 66, was a young Army lieutenant when a court-martial at nearby Fort Benning convicted him of murder in 1971 for killing 22 civilians during the infamous massacre of 500 men, women and children in Vietnam.
Though sentenced to life in prison, Calley ended up serving three years under house arrest after President Richard Nixon later reduced his sentence.
After his release, Calley stayed in Columbus and settled into a job at a jewelry store owned by his father-in-law before he moved to Atlanta a few years ago. He shied away from publicity and routinely turned down journalists' requests for interviews about My Lai.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32514139/ns/us_news-military/t/calley-apologizes-role-my-lai-massacre/#.V5_jJrgrKCg