re: Many in intellegence community think Bergdahl was active collaborator w/ Taliban

I understand what you're saying but just dont agree that the risk of leaving him behind was greater than trading 5 high profile terrorists with links to one of the greatest attacks on American soil.

He gets left behind, some conservatives scream for Obama's head. It gets ugly for about a week. Tops. It would have been easier to get Bergdaul's status changed from POW to Deserter or Traitor, leaked the info and used his dad's online history as backup. Obama would have scored HUGE points with the very conservative base that hates him already.

Now, he makes a hugely unequal trade that is controversial, at best, brings this father to speak the language of the terrorists on US television while he smiles at his side and all of this other info leaks about Bergdaul.

Which was riskier from a PR standpoint?