I understand and expected the Republicans and their Fox News outlet to try to manufacture yet another “scandal” to rev up the ever-sputtering and puttering impeachment machine against President Obama, this time out of the deal to free Bowe Bergdahl from 5 years of captivity by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
But are Brian Williams, Jim Miklaszewski, and the NBC Nightly News working as adjuncts to the GOP/Fox News? I watched the nightly news this evening and couldn’t believe what passed there for coverage of the story. It was completely negative; Miklaszewski dug up every GOP talking point against Bergdahl he obviously could think of:
Bergdahl is a deserter, the deal to free him is being seen by lawmakers as paving the way for mass kidnappings of every American soldier abroad, the Taliban now believe themselves to be a “legitimate” governmental power, the administration is “changing its story” that Bergdahl may have been in declining health, they won’t release the video where he allegedly appeared to be ill, unnamed medical experts who examined the video say he wasn’t really sick, the White House didn’t tell everyone in Congress ahead of time that they were about to do the deal, the Pentagon has provided Bergdahl with a lawyer who is advising him (gasp) not to incriminate himself, he…hasn’t…yet…agreed to talk to his parents. Miklaszewski made this last point with a knowing nod, as if to say “look who we’re dealing with…This guy doesn’t even care about his mom and dad who did so much to free him.”
Talk about pre-judgment. There was no mention in the NBC coverage of the U.S. military policy that we go in and retrieve our captured soldiers, no matter what the circumstances. No mention that the Israeli government agreed to a trade of Gilad Shalit for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of them convicted of murder and other terrorists acts against Israeli civilians, and yet there have been no further kidnappings of soldiers in Israel. No questioning by Williams or Miklaszewski or the NBC news team about questions raised about whether the Taliban prisoners released from Guantanamo in exchange for Bergdahl were really guilty of terrorist acts. There was only one side to the NBC story and one conclusion that could be drawn from it: Bowe Bergdhal is guilty of desertion and should have been left where he was.
Is there evidence that Bergdahl deserted his post five years ago? Yes. Has desertion been proved yet in a court of law? I don’t think so. Has the U.S. military collapsed as a result of this prisoner exchange? I don’t think so either. C’mon NBC. Employ some basic journalistic standards.
His platoon members say he deserted them and sought out the Taliban. His actions may have cost lives of fellow soldiers. And you have Obama at a Rose Garden Ceremony touting the trade of 5 Taliban detainees for this guy? Give me Iran-Contra any day.
Give you Iran contra any day?
Troll hard much?
but all I’m saying is there are two sides to the story, and NBC News only portrayed one side of it.
But Bergdahl himself shouldn’t be. He is not a public figure; he’s a person who went through a terrible years-long ordeal. Neither the media nor politicians should be launching character attacks on him; they are irrelevant to the ‘deal’ and none of our business.
At this point there is no evidence that he did not intend to return to base and there is absolute no evidence to suggest that he was actually attempting to desert. There is also independent evidence that discipline was extremely lax at that outpost.
We got an American back toward the end of a long war. How distinguished said American’s service was isn’t relevant.
At how politicized this has become, how every major Republican who critiqued Obama for doing too little to free him and now is claiming, in spite of video to the contrary , that they always thought this deal was bad. Especially disappointed in John McCain who should certainly know better since he was freed in a prisoner exchange himself. I am disgusted that Bergdahl’s hometown has had to endure death threats and cancel is welcome home ceremony. Any debt, as far as I’m concerned, he may owe the government for the circumstances of this capture has been paid by enduring the torture of the Taliban. It’s truly disgusting, not surprising, but disgusting.
McCain was shot down my an enemy missile. Bergdahl likely deserted his platoon and rumors are he sought out the enemy. McCain likely was released after the VC and US signed the Paris Peace Agreement.
I’m sorry, was there a peace deal signed? I feel bad for the parents who lost a son b/c of this guy going on a walk-about. But he served with honor and distinction, according to Susan Rice.
As someone said, we traded 5 healthy dogs for a puppy with rabies. And those dogs we release are wanted on possible war crimes by the UN. But just salute whatever Obama does, right JC?
If it were up to me Bergdahl and ANY American wouldn’t be in that shithole anymore. My friend in the Guard who served there confirmed this for me, from the US standpoint, the war on the Taliban is a war without end and without point. He is a Scott Brown and Paul supporting “independent” like yourself, but feels our efforts there are in vain and that nobody I’m Washington has the troops back. At least Obama freed some prisoners from Gitmo and brought one soldier home-but I will hold out my full praise until Gitmo is closed and every soldier is home. And it looks like that won’t happen during this administration…
It is U.S. military policy that we bring back every POW, regardless of the circumstances. Do you disagree with that policy? Should there be an officer in charge who decides which soldiers we rescue and which we don’t, based on “rumors” of seeking out the enemy?
Why doesn’t Obama who claimed he would be the most transparent president ever, release the file on Bergdahl. His email to his dad before he “disappeared” said of the US military “It is the army of liars, backstabbers, fools, and bullies.”
What burns me is those fools (Bergdahl’s words) went looking for him and 4 kids may have died b/c of his desire to abandon his post. His fellow soldiers are calling him a deserter and you what, I believe them. So would I have done the trade that could endanger other US soldiers? HELL NO. I probably would do the same trade for some service dogs the Taliban have, but not for this guy based on what I am reading.
Whether Bergdahl is a deserter or a hero has nothing to do with this. We made a trade for Bergdahl based on the fact that he is a U.S. soldier. It’s U.S. military policy and has nothing to do with whether Bergdahl is a good person, a hero, a coward, or a traitor. We bring back our own. Then, later we can determine with considered evidence whether Bergdahl was a deserter and try him, and punish him, if he is convicted. It’s called due process. It’s the American way.
and Bergdahl has just become a tool for your obsessive hatred of the President. Speaking as a veteran, you disgust me. What burns me about fools like you is that if someone possess a gun and is a danger to someone, you want to have the flipping Supreme Court come crashing down do defend the 2nd amendment, but if the trolls at Foxs News throw chum into the water, you have no problem with depriving someone of their life and liberty without trial. Your priorities are seriously disturbed!
You are a pale excuse for a human being.
I dearly hope that for posts like these, you are banned.
David Brooks backs up the President.
There – I said it! We all know they would have been screaming just as loudly about how uncaring Obama is if he didn’t get the soldier home. A democratic government means there is a party in power and at least one party out of power. The latter gets to play opposition and offer their own solutions, but they are supposed to be the LOYAL opposition. Politics used to stop at the water’s edge. I used to insist that anyone from any party who stuck his or her neck out and offered to serve in public office was by definition a patriot because in order for our system to work you need to have people willing to serve. You even need more people willing to serve than there are spots to fill in order to give people a choice in a genuine election. There is a way to hold genuinely conservative positions and advance those positions for the good of the country, for example UK Tories. (I don’t want to open a debate on the merits of their agenda which many of us still would disagree with on the merits; I just want to point out that they still understand what it means to be responsible leaders.)
Unfortunately, the Republicans have moved away from conservatism to just plain not giving a hoot. What have we become when a recent nominee for VP decides to quit her governorship in favor of being an immature bomb-thrower? I am generally not much of an alarmist, but there are days when I wonder how long our government will last. Too many people who are supposedly in positions of leadership seem more interested in one-upping each other in saying the most outrageous things or proposing the most outrageous and potentially destructive laws.
(end of rant)
N/t
Oh wait, that thinking is only valid if a Republican is president, my bad.
In 2007, Obama said “I think true patriotism, is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security”. Now anyone who opposes Obama is a racist or tea-bagger or political terrorist. Well Dem Joe Manchin is questioning this trade, as is Dem Diane Feinstein. In fact “When asked whether there was a “credible threat” on Bergdahl’s life if word had gotten out, the California Democrat responded: “No, I don’t think there was a credible threat”.
And I’ve read Congress rejected the same offer in 2011 and 2012 but Obama went ahead anyways. And the reasons they gave are blowing up in their face but queue Susan Rice on the Sunday talk shows.
I want to thank Dave for posting this diary, I wanted to when the story broke but preferred someone else step up.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/dianne-feinstein-bergdahl-no-threat-107526.html#ixzz33tubaKuA
Dissent is great, needed even. Irrational temper tantrums, especially when it requires reversing yourself just to oppose the President, are not. My above comment wasn’t just about Bergdahl, but about the trend of the GOP in recent years, and forgive me if I’m less than impressed with using DINO Manchin as an example of hey look, even the President’s own party is critical.
Well, yes. He read it no worse and no better than he reads anything else.
Maybe the little rush of outrage is addictive.
Although I will point out, you did Bergdahl case in your ‘unpatriotic’ comment, but let that go.
Where did the Republicans reverse themselves and throw a temper tantrum? Obamacare? Bailouts? Fast and Furious? Tax hikes? Cap and Trade? Stimulus package? Filibuster changes? More gun control? Please explain….
You know, Mike Cote wrote that I have hatred toward our president and I’m glad you didn’t recommend his comment, but four other members did. Is this the new norm, you disagree with policies of a president, and you are called hater or unpatriotic? I thought we are here to debate, not to intimidate….
Editors, please ban DFW and thereby raise the level of discourse on this site, thank you.
…are among the most significant proposals originally to come from the Republican Party.
Are you seriously suggesting that to engage in a prisoner exchange near the end of hostility constitutes, “If what your country is doing seems to you practically and morally wrong…”. If you are seriously suggesting that something that every President since George Washington has done in their capacity as Commander and Chief, then you are simply beyond contempt and you pathetic Republican Party should be banished to the trash heap of history. They are, in fact, unpatriotic, as was originally suggested by Christopher, above.
It is being a flaming ass.
He’s got you using bad language. I bet that for him, it doesn’t get any better than that.
n/t
When Democrats made MUCH less incendiary charges against Richard Nixon — based on far more evidence — they were called “traitors”.
The GOP posture is far more egregious than “just plain not giving a hoot” — they are still attempting to destroy Mr. Obama. This after they have lost not one but TWO elections to him.
This is a Republican party that consistently puts its own political interests above the national interest. Not just once, and not just here.
Here are several issues where the GOP posture is self-serving, contrary to the national interest, and wrong to boot:
– Anthropogenic global warming
– Debt ceiling
– Continuing spending resolutions
– Bengzhai
– Bergdahl
Our government is already failing. The question is how long it will be before the damage from its failure will be irreversible, and whether or not we can change direction in time.