Defenders of President Obama‘s release of five Taliban terrorists from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl cite as justification Israel‘s history of swapping hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for one or two Israeli soldiers.

As strong an ally and example of democracy as Israel is, especially in a region sorely lacking in either, Israel is not the United States. Israel has its own interests and purpose for its actions. The world looks to the United States for leadership and in this president and his administration it has found little.