Personally I don't think Obama really thought it through all the way. With all the VA stuff coming down, a good media piece about saving a war hero POW and appearing with the grateful parents sounds like a great turn around moment.

Dealing with the bad press around the taliban guys is one thing. But he got totally caught off guard by the fact he was getting back at best a deserter and at worst a traitor. If he did know, he thought the nondisclosure agreements were going to shut his squad mates up. Instead, he ended up with them all in the media and unable to find a single, soildary person in the world willing to say he "served with honor and distinction" except liar susan rice.

Then the horrific, ridiculous press conference with bowe's weird beard father praising allah and writing tweets about hating america and supporting the taliban.

Maybe underlying it all the policy could have been defended, but the way he carried it out is nothing short of bizarre.