John McCain: Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap a 'mistake'

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

John McCain: Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap a 'mistake'
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday assailed the Obama administration's decision to swap five Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, calling the move "ill-fated" and "a mistake." Given McCain's past — he was a POW for five years during the Vietnam War before being freed in a mass detainee exchange — his remark carried an added heft and, to some, more than a hint of hypocrisy.

McCain said earlier in the week that he was leery of the deal, though he did not condemn it in such striking terms.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.