What was supposed to be a triumphant Rose Garden moment three days ago for the White House is now "a full-blown political firestorm," NBC's Chuck Todd reported Tuesday about the Bowe Bergdahl controversy.
"The president found himself playing defense today on another sticky national security issue," Todd said, "facing sharp questions about Bergdahl's disappearance, the threat of the Taliban's commanders used in the exchange and bypassing Congress."
Indeed, Bergdahl has been called a deserter who may have sought talks with the Taliban before his capture by many who served alongside him, and legal analysts have stated Obama broke the law by making the deal for his release without consulting Congress first.
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R., Ga.) of the Intelligence Committee both came down on the White House for not following the law and consulting Congress before making the agreement.
At home, Todd said the political fallout was clear.
"This is turning out to be a hot potato for the White House, and I think it could get worse, much worse, over the next few weeks or even months," said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg."