President Obama defended his decision to exchange five Taliban terrorists for alleged deserter, American Army Sgt.Bergdahl by claiming that this sort of thing was done by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The president said this has been true in every combat situation where you make sure you get all your people home. He claimed it was the right thing to do.
A knowledge of American History would prove this statement wrong on all counts.
George Washington did not become president until six years after the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War ended in 1783. By 1789, there were no longer any prisoners for him to exchange.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in April of 1865. The Civil War ended in May. The president, obviously, was not able to enact anything at that point in time. No deals were made to exchange prisoners after the Civil War. All prisoners were simply freed.
Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a stroke before World War II ended. President Harry S. Truman made the decision to drop the bombs on Japan, ending World War II. He made no deals for prisoners. The US Forces went in and released them according to each case.
Not one of the presidents mentioned by the president were in office at the end of these wars, making it impossible for them to make any sort of prisoner swaps. You do have to wonder if any of the aforementioned presidents would have even considered making a five for one swap plus unspecified cash for a soldier with a less than stellar record in being a supporter of the country he was supposed to be serving.
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