WASHINGTON President Obamas handling of the Bergdahl prisoner exchange

has renewed frustration among congressional Democrats about the

administrations relations with its allies on Capitol Hill, and prompted criticism
that the White House failed to prepare the lawmakers for the politically explosive
case.
While Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who leads the
Intelligence Committee, went public with her dissatisfaction at not being notified
in advance about the exchange, other lawmakers and officials said privately that
Democrats felt exposed by their lack of knowledge about the circumstances
surrounding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahls capture and the backgrounds of the five Taliban
officials traded for his freedom.
The chain of events, coming after days of contending with a searing scandal at
the Department of Veterans Affairs and coupled with some Democratic unrest
over new proposed rules on power plant emissions, has some Democrats
questioning the effectiveness of the administrations team and its ability to help
them get on the offensive with a midterm election just months away.
We have to quit putting out fires, said one Democratic senator, who asked
not to be named in talking candidly about internal party views of the White House.
Strains between a president and congressional members of his party during a
second term are not unheard-of given their differing political situations.
Lawmakers are trying to survive in what is traditionally a difficult political
environment, while the occupant of the White House will not be on a ballot again
and can become caught up with presidential legacy.
Bergdahl Case Shakes Democrats Confidence in Administration - NYT... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/06/world/asia/bowe-bergdahl-case-sha...
1 of 3 6/5/2014 9:50 AM
Still, the level of discontent this week among Democrats seemed noticeably
high and was fueled not only by recent events, but also by lingering fallout from
last years health care furor and unease about the approaching election. House
Republicans are also readying special hearings into the 2012 attacks on the
diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, forcing Democrats to put up a defense of
the administration in that incident.
Sensing that Republicans and other critics of the prisoner exchange may have
gone too far in their efforts to attack the exchange, Senator Harry Reid, the
Nevada Democrat and majority leader, on Wednesday mounted a strong defense
of the deal in what appeared to be an effort to provide Democrats with a road map
for backing the administrations action. His argument was less about the
administration than the nations traditional dedication to securing the return of all
troops.
Lets say, for the sake of argument, that Sergeant Bergdahl did violate his
sworn oath, Mr. Reid said. Who do we want to mete out justice to an American
soldier? The Taliban? I will choose the justice system of the United States Army
American justice every time.
At the same time, the administration provided a classified briefing
Wednesday evening to members of the Senate of both parties to try to answer
mounting demands for information. Officials said that lawmakers at the briefing
were told that the possibility of the trade of five Taliban members was shared twice
this year with Congressional leaders in January and February, not just in 2011 as
some have asserted.
But the administration had a way to go to placate Democrats, some of whom
said senators were not soothed on Tuesday by an appearance by Dennis
McDonough, the White House chief of staff, at a private weekly party lunch. Mr.
McDonough, people familiar with the meeting said, told lawmakers that the
administration had been in touch with officials on Capitol Hill before the prisoner
exchange, when nearly all of those in the luncheon had not been consulted,
including Ms. Feinstein.
White House officials said they anticipated some blowback from Democrats
about the lack of consultation, but had to put the protection of a sensitive military
operation ahead of that concern. In addition, one official said, the administrations
view that it did not have to notify Congress in a fast-moving situation was at odds
Bergdahl Case Shakes Democrats Confidence in Administration - NYT... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/06/world/asia/bowe-bergdahl-case-sha...
2 of 3 6/5/2014 9:50 AM
with the congressional view that it did, creating a policy divide from the start.
Acknowledging some dissent from Capitol Hill, administration officials said
they remained comfortable with the way the situation was handled.
The president did have his supporters. Representative Nancy Pelosi of
California, the Democratic leader and a former senior member of the Intelligence
Committee, said that she supported the presidents decision and that the White
House notified congressional leaders to the extent possible.
Im comfortable with what the president did, said Ms. Pelosi, who was
attending campaign events in the Midwest during a House recess. I want any
president, Democrat or Republican, to be able to use his discretion as to what is in
the national security interests of our country.
She also noted that the president had made clear the possibility that he might
not always comply with the 30-day congressional notification for releases from
Guantnamo Bay, Cuba, when he signed Pentagon policy legislation last year.
The Republicans never seemed to mind when President Bush was doing
signing statements all the time about what he would enforce or not, she said.
Despite the presidents service in the Senate, the relationship between the
Obama White House and Democrats on Capitol Hill has been troubled in recent
years as lawmakers complained that administration paid scant attention to the
political needs of Democratic members and didnt reach out to them enough.
White House allies have suggested that lawmakers are too needy and that stroking
congressional egos in either party is no guarantee of legislative progress.
The White House has changed personnel in an effort to improve
communication between the administration and Capitol Hill, and lawmakers have
noted some progress. But they said the sense of being caught off-guard by the
furor surrounding Sergeant Bergdahl shook congressional confidence in the
administration once again.
Bergdahl Case Shakes Democrats Confidence in Administration - NYT... http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/06/world/asia/bowe-bergdahl-case-sha...
3 of 3 6/5/2014 9:50 AM