"Negotiating With Terrorists" - A Little Perspective, Please

As the Republican perpetual outrage machine tries to turn the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl into another Benghazi, Benghazi!, BENGHAZI!, using the "Obama negotiated with terrorists!" argument, Michael Tomasky reminds us that another nation's politician not known for bending to terrorists had to make a similar calculation:

Can Republicans make this resonate outside their base? Hard to say. I think to most Americans, this is a feel-good story. We value a life, one American life. Bibi Netanyahu traded one captive Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, not for five Palestinian prisoners. He traded Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. And there was broad agreement across the spectrum of Israeli politics that bringing Shalit to safety, even at that price, was the right thing to do. 

But of course, that doesn’t matter to the right. No one outside their base cares much about Benghazi, but that hasn’t stopped them. They’ll keep pursuing Benghazi mostly to see if they can pin anything on Hillary, but when it comes to wet impeachment dreams, Benghazi may have just been pushed to the back seat. The crazy never stops.  (our emphasis)

When it comes to some in the Republican/ Stupid party's obsession with neutering President Obama and the Democratic agenda via impeachment, as FOB Gene says, "Put up or shut up".  (He also makes the point that St. Ronnie of Hollywood traded arms for hostages in the Iran-Contra scandal;  we don't seem to recall any Constitution-loving Republicans calling for his impeachment at that time.)

The crackpots might wish to recall the last time they pulled that on a sitting Democratic president:  after the Clinton impeachment failed, his approval peaked at 73% in 1998/99, and he left office with a 68% approval rating.