One thing supporters of the Obama administration raise to defend the prisoner swap involving apparent Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl is that Israel has done it, too, so that makes it okay.  This is wrong on several counts.  Some Israeli exchanges, like that of captured Israeli tank crewman Gilad Shalit, are materially different.  But a more frank and compelling argument is that the United States ought not model itself on Israel in when it comes to prisoner exchanges at all.  Israel’s policy in this area is its own business, but it is at best controversial, and not something that a large nation and world power such as the United States should emulate. Over many decades, the Israelis have made numerous prisoner swaps, all of them disproportionate.  Some were perfectly conventional and honorable exchanges of prisoners of war, while others were far more problematic exchanges between convicted terrorists and, sometimes, Israelis who fell into enemy hands in...(Read Full Article)