I was sure Obama was going to pardon Bergdahl. I was sure Obama would pardon him immediately, as soon as he got back to the U.S.
It is a mystery what Obama was doing or thinking. Obviously we all know that Obama wanted to release his Muslim 'brothers' in Gitmo. And there was the added value of sticking a finger in the eye of America by honoring a traitor, who is also apparently a Muslim. I get all that. But then Obama just left it hanging. He never closed the deal. Strange.
The only two possibilities I can think of is that the point of the 'exchange', as it was called, was primarily to empty Gitmo so Obama could then return the base to Castro. So, he didn't really give a damn what happened to Bergdahl.
Also, it is possible that he was so sure Hillary would win, that he decided to dump the problem on her plate and let her deal with it. Hillary supporters would cheer and praise Hillary for saving Bergdahl.