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Senior Military Officials on Bergdahl: 'He's Not A Deserter'
Yesterday, we reported that we hadn't heard a clear story from the Pentagon about how Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl was captured in Afghanistan. We started looking after a Fox News analyst claimed the soldier deserted (and therefore should be executed by the Taliban).
But last night, an NBC News correspondent reported that Pentagon officials are certain Bergdahl is not a deserter.
"Senior military and Pentagon officials, not only in Washington but there on the ground in Afghanistan, say there's no question he's not a deserter," said Jim Miklaszewski, NBC's Pentagon correspondent.
Video after the jump.
Miklaszewski also said the officials are "quite outraged" about the comments made by the Fox analyst, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters because they could be used to harm Bergdahl.
"These Peters comments could actually be used by his captors to get even deeper inside Bergdahl's mind, and further erode any confidence that he may have that he will ever come out alive," he said. "It's why you don't hear military officials or even government officials talking much about this case."
Miklaszewski also had more details about the events leading to the soldier's capture.
He did leave his post by himself. He came off a patrol June 30, dropped off his weapon and his body armor, grabbed up a bottle of water, a compass and a knife and took off out on his own. And it was sometime after that, apparently, that some local militants grabbed him and turned him over to the Taliban. Now, should he have left the post alone? Of course not. But it doesn't make him a deserter.
In related news, CNN reports that U.S. forces have opened a fact-finding mission into Bergdahl's disappearance.
Josh
Zachary
I'd like to believe Bergdahl isn't a deserter, and I see no reason to believe he is, especially since the idea of a soldier running off in Afghanistan seems ludicrous on its face.
Still, I can't help recalling that when Pentagon officials insisted on anonymity during the Bush years, they were often twisting if no lying. Why are they anonymous now? The odds they're lying seem so slim, the reasonableness of their position so obvious, their anger at Peters so deserved, that I can't fathom the anonymity.
July 23, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder whether they have told Faux News?
July 24, 2009 8:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's exchange him for Rupert Murdoch.
July 23, 2009 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
There needs to be a sea change in this country. It is unsustainable, culturally, for us to have a situation where, when right-wingers say stupid, hateful things, they get a free pass because, oh, "it's expected of them", but a Democrat or liberal can say something relatively innocuous and it becomes a headline for several news cycles. Right-wingers move in lockstep in this country, and the media wants to keep its audience as big as possible, so they never do anything to rile the lockstep right-wingers, like practice journalism or expose right-wing BS.
We need to start a movement in this country by which liberals and progressives are better able to coordinate themselves into a power base that can effect influence in DC and with the media. Right now, we're ignored, because, well, compared to the right-wingers, we're grey-area and wishy-washy moral relativists. We're willing to see the other person's side, or at least NOT deliberately choose to interpret the other person's words in the WORST POSSSIBLE WAY, and so we never appear as a significant mass of opinion or voting or dollars to the powers that be.
If that doesn't change, nothing else changes. The fringe right and the top 1% will continue to control the "framing" of every debate.
July 23, 2009 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are correct Clavis. I never cease to be amazed how for example Rush Limbaugh can say the most bigoted ignorant and inflammatory things and yet get a complete pass because he is just being "right wing". He is considered to be one of the TOP 3 Republican "leaders" in America. Can you imagine if one of the top 3 Democratic or Liberal leaders said the most filthy insulting and personal distortions about every subject what a blistering shitstorm we would all endure in the MSM? The double standard is so completely obvious and consistent that I really do wonder what it would take to break it down in some significant way. The right wing has a very active strategy to "work the refs" in always calling the media "liberal" and "biased" and giving the reporters and networks constant grief about how unfair the truth is to radical conservatives. The ultimate proof of this is the FoxNews moniker of "fair and balanced" which is a complete Nazi style bold faced lie, and yet they say it everyday and pretend it is true to promote the slanting of the whole media to their right wing bullshit and distortion. It is a game we have been loosing way to long. It is why the healthcare debate is going to hell so quickly now, because outright lies and misinformation are given equal status with facts and common sense. This appeasement has got to stop!
July 24, 2009 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really can't understand what the fuss is about.
The guy already demonstrated his lack of a moral compass by joining a gang of mercenary thugs whose sole purpose is to invade and occupy sovereign nations, inhabited by human beings going about their own business which is no business of either him or the gang's bosses.
Times are tight in his own country because the citizens of that country have sat by for too long allowing their leaders to murder rape, cheat and thieve their way through at least 127 (precise numbers are tough due to the clandestine and obscure nature of many of the empire's more outrageous acts of aggression) foreign conflicts since 1868, none of which were against an enemy who had posed a threat to amerika.
Instead of all this angst about a fool who chose to put himself right where he is, think about the people of Afghanistan whose only crime is to want to live free of western consumerism.
They don't do anything to place themselves in danger apart from trying to grow food or go to family weddings, yet their lives are at risk because the greedy, indolent, and obese occupants of a distant land won't avail themselves the reality of the obscene acts daily committed in their name.
Instead they would rather play macho games about 'warrior codes' or 'supporting the troops'.
July 23, 2009 8:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
WOW!
When will you take off the gloves and tell it like it is?
.
July 24, 2009 12:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
You are so amazingly right. I mean, it's not like the Japanese attacked us during World Wa... wait... ok, bad example. But still, just because we responded to that, it's not like Germany then declared war on us in retal...er... ok, hang on... Well, at the very least, it's not like North Korea launched a war of aggression that we were involved in as part of the United Natio... err... alright, one moment...
STFU.
Right, what's what I meant to say, there we go.
July 24, 2009 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Japaneese attacked because they were being squeezed in Asia by western colonial powers. They wanted to exploit those people instead of us.
Study the Philippine–American War for a good example of this.
July 24, 2009 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which doesn't change one little bit the assertion made that none of our foreign wars were in response to a foe that threatened us at all, or how erroneous that assertion was.
July 30, 2009 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Geez, ProudPinkoCommie, I really hope you're a wingnut plant sent here to give Michele Malkin something to shriek about.
I think we can disagree with military decisions our civilian leadership has made without calling volunteer American soldiers fools and thugs. Until the rest of the world unilaterally disarms, they are an essential national resource.
And I think it's hilarious that you ascribe the most benevolent intentions to everyone else in the world. "They're just going about their own business…" Which business, of course, includes drug trafficking, murder, oppression, slavery, theocratic totalitarianism… ya know?
But back to Peters: Fox News needs to ban him from the station.
July 24, 2009 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Legal people: isn't there some crime Lt. Col. Ralph Peters has committed by internationally stating as fact that this kid is a deserter and in his opinion should be executed? This "newscast" is seen by our soldiers in the field and this "expert" has told them their buddy is a deserter, a coward, a liar, perhaps a traitor. The chances for the kid's survival weren't good to start with and Lt. Col. Ralph Peters may well have lowered his chances to nil. Don't we have laws to cover this sort of thing? I'm assuming the kid is innocent of Lt. Col. Ralph Peters' charges until someone proves they are true.
An old war saying: "Loose lips sink ships." In this case, the loose lips and incredible lack of judgement may lead directly to the kid's loss of life, if not from the Taliban, from his fellow soldiers. The scorn belongs with Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Fox News.
July 24, 2009 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect his fellow soldiers know better. In fact, if Lt. Col. Ralph Peters were in the field with them at this very moment, they'd be picking straws to see who would get the honor of fragging his ass on the next patrol.
July 24, 2009 11:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Consider that Pfc. Bergdahl is home-schooled, from a hick conservative state, volunteered for airborne infantry duty and, probably, believes what he is doing in the name of his country is the right thing. Some may consider his views naive, but how does that warrant the excrement spewed by Army Lt.Col. (Retired) Ralph Peters on the Fox News channels? Young and dumb sometimes works...old and dumb never does.
Ralph Peters' qualifications for inclusion in the Army officer ranks? Let's use his own words as a recent Penn State University graduate, enlisting, at age 23, as a private with two flat feet, curved spine, and intermittent asthma, "The military was so desperate in 1976, that's why I got in." He retired 22 years later as a lieutenant colonel, having spent much of his career in intelligence. Military Intelligence, that is...the mother of all oxymorons.
The problem here is not Pfc. Bergdahl, but the Fox News "expert" military analyst. If you want to sit on your asses and play with a keyboard this morning, how about contacting U.S. Representatives Walt Minnick (202-225-6611) and Mike Simpson (202-225-5531), Bergdahl's Idaho congressmen, and try to have them direct a little hostile fire at Fox and, the skidmark in a suit, Ralph Peters.
It might just make you feel a little better about what you accomplished today.
July 24, 2009 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Some MSM needs to get Lt.Col. Peters back on to explain himself. Clavis is right on about the rightwingnut spouting absolute crap and getting away with it. This Peters bird made it clear on Fox that Bergdahl deserted and the Taliban should have their way with them. Peters risked that boys life and I hope when Bergdahl gets home Peters is sued for everything he has and then Bergdahl should go after Fox news. In fact his family should start proceeding now. I am an old hippie dippie peacenik from way way back that absolutely despises war but I would never dream of saying anything near what Peters said about any soldier. In fact the more I think about it Obama should strip that sh*thead Peters rank and retirement.
July 24, 2009 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
If Lt. Col. Ralph Peters is retired, and I suspect he is, then the DoD should recall his butte back to active duty and dress him down and reduce his rank to Major. I think it's about time the Pentagon have a little come-to-jesus meeting with their fellow retired officers and state in blunt terms anything they say to the media concerning military affairs comes under the UCMJ and they can still be held accountable so long as they draw a retirement check and use their rank to promote their analyst credentials.
July 24, 2009 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
They don't have to recall him. If he's retired and collecting a military pension, he's still subject to the UCMJ.
As long as you're taking the King's shilling, you're subject to the King's rules.
July 25, 2009 12:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's disgusting that a news channel would be so irresponsible, even for FoxNews this is an unbelievable low. They need to try to undo the damage they've done to this soldier.
July 24, 2009 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Someone should nail Peters and Fox-I agree with the poster above that the right wingnuts come on and say the most outrageous and inflamatory things and then step back with no accountability-Fox is the leader in this movement, of course, with idiots like beck, hannity, etc. o'reilly is just a mercenary getting very rich.
peters is no officer, retired or otherwise-if anyone in the Pentagon ever talks to him again, they should fire that person-"senior military official" it is nauseating.
July 24, 2009 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think I'm with Beetlejuice with regard to Peters-I have never ever heard a military person, retired or otherwise, utter such garbage with respect to troops. Peters never saw combat-he sits here and pontificates just like the other wing nut chickenhawks trying to get more troops killed.
July 24, 2009 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is the difference between a Republican party loyalist and a loyal American. That poor kid doesn't mean fucking squat to him or Fox news - as long as it takes the people's sight away from the 8-year fiasco that the cockroaches in the Republican party caused. Support the troops...until we have a Democratic President. Then fuck-em.
July 24, 2009 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I concur, except on one point: the debacles in the Middle East are the result of cockroaches, and plenty of [ __ ] enablers. [Take your pick to fill-in the blank: cowardly; short-sighted; ignorant; moronic; "other".]
July 24, 2009 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well-said, Armageddon. How soon the R's forget that during the Bush mis-administration, even the slightest questioning of war policy brought the wingnuts down in force, calling anyone and everyone a traitor for not "supporting the troops". Now we have a Dem Commander in Chief, and wow, now we can toss out a captured American soldier as if he means nothing. It's absolutely infuriating. Eff Fox News.
July 24, 2009 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Chickenhawks and Neocons just love the idea of war, it is actually fighting in one that scares the shit out of them. There are too many examples of this psychotic macho syndrome but Cheney is the best example. They should be ashamed to send others to die and be mutilated for their own gratification, but they believe their own bullshit so completely it never makes a dent in their warmongering. Remember the little band-aids they brought out at the Republican convention in 2004 to mock Kerry's 3 purple hearts? Bush was the drunken deserter from his no risk, no combat job and Kerry was commanding a patrol boat getting shot at yet the Republicans felt perfectly able to mock our guy and they totally got away with it! WTF is this double standard for chickenhawks???
July 24, 2009 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink