Thursday, June 05, 2014

This Problem Is Not Insoluble

It's almost certainly not coincidence that this story popped up on the media radar when it did: A western couple and their baby held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan, asking the US government to help them get their freedom. Presumably the Taliban are hoping to get more of their comrades released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for freeing them.

And if Republicans hadn't decided they hate US president Barack Obama sooooooo much that they're willing to urinate all over the troops and defecate all over America rather than simply applaud him for securing the release of an American military prisoner in exchange for five Gitmo prisoners and move on to other things, it might have happened.

But all hope is not lost. Just because it's politically impossible to trade more Islamists off to get more Americans back, it doesn't mean some kind of deal can't be worked out. How about some kind of even trade not involving detainees at all -- in return for this man, woman and baby, the US trades another man, woman and baby?

I'm thinking John McCain, Sarah Palin and Lindsey Graham fit the bill pretty damn well.

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