The only thing worse than a soldier abandoning his post is a commander-in-chief who abandons his duty to keep the nation safe. When Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl left his unit behind, we had a President willing to leave the law behind in what could go down as the most dangerous prisoner swap in U.S. history. I say “could,” because the five terrorists this White House released are already trying to reconnect with their Taliban networks in an effort to reengage in the war against the West.

FRC’s Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin – like most military leaders – saw this coming. “I hope that this does not come as a surprise to anyone. It was predictable and many of us said so at the time of the release. The only surprise for me would be if it was proven that the other (two terrorists Obama freed) are not doing the same thing. I bet you that they are.”

Of course, last year most everyone – including the President’s own party – saw this trade for the ticking time bomb it was. And now that the military has officially charged Bergdahl with the desertion his unit accused him of, the “feel good” story of Bowe’s release doesn’t feel good to anyone. Where is the comfort for those parents, whose sons made the ultimate sacrifice to protect America from the very terrorists we released? Instead, six of our finest soldiers were killed in the hunt for a selfish traitor who premeditated his disappearance and declared he was “ashamed to be an American.”

What are we thinking, Gen. Boykin fumed, “when Americans risk their lives and some even die to lock these bad actors up in the military prison in GTMO? Then, the President just disregards the sacrifice of these young men and women and releases the very people who have sworn to destroy America? It is a slap in the face to the vets as well as every mom and dad who have lost a son or daughter in this war… Did it ever occur to the President that Bergdahl may not have wanted to come home to a country that he abhorred and that he was forced to do so by the Taliban so that they could get five of their top leaders back?”

Now that Bergdahl’s case is being referred to the military’s version of a grand jury, the person most Americans are holding in contempt is the man responsible for the deal in the first place: the President. For the White House, this is not just another messy PR embarrassment. This is a real national security threat. President Obama’s act of trading five known terrorists for a known deserter – without consulting Congress – probably would have toppled previous administrations. But unfortunately, we’ve been forced to walk through so much incompetence these last six years that we’ve almost become calloused to poor and immoral leadership.

These six soldiers who were killed trying to find Bergdahl were sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers. And their sacrifice was rewarded by a President who traded five of the most dangerous terrorists, who others had previously fought to stop, for a man who turned his back on his country and his fellow soldiers. If this is the President’s idea of a good deal, then Americans should be sweating bullets over his negotiations with Iran.

Beating around the Bush?

It shouldn’t surprise anyone – including the media – that conservative leaders are talking to each other about the 2016 presidential cycle and what it’ll take to win (which history tells us is a conservative Republican). In the last two presidential elections, the GOP has nominated a moderate only to lose the general election. As my friend Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s former attorney general, has pointed out: Since Barry Goldwater, 100% the Republican nominees for President who have run on a platform of true conservatism have won. And 100% of Republican nominees for President who have not run as a conservative have lost.

These ongoing conversations among conservatives were the subject of a front-page New York Times article [Thursday], which suggested that our movement is organizing against Governor Jeb Bush. While I can’t speak for everyone, I am not against Jeb. In fact, I’ve met with him, and there are several things I like about him. That said, what I’m looking for in a candidate is someone with the courage and the credentials who can and will pull the country back from the brink.

After two terms of what history will likely record as America’s worst President, we don’t need a Republican who will just babysit America’s demise. We need a conservative leader who has the courage to act and undo what this administration has done. We need a leader who will not apologize for America’s exceptionalism, but embrace the source of it. And we need a leader who will contend with those in far away places trying to kill people because of their religion – while also contending with those here at home who want to kill the freedom of religion. In this year’s field, there is reason for optimism in the number of strong conservative candidates. But history has shown that if a candidate doesn’t have a record of conservatism – and won’t campaign as a conservative – then they aren’t a conservative.

In the meantime, I have made myself available to all of the presidential contenders in hopes of helping them better understand the problems and solutions facing our families and freedoms. Again, my intentions are to come to a point where I will support the right candidate at the right time. Will that be Jeb Bush? I don’t know. But I do know that we share a mutual respect, a love for our country, and a desire to unite America behind a courageous man or woman who can repair the damage done by this administration and restore our faith in government.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.