Obama and the Mockery of Honor National Review Online When it comes to Bergdahl, though, the administration does have a strategy. No one in the White House gives a damn about Bergdahl now. Hes a liability. But the rule is that Obama is never wrong. Apologies are out of the question; instead, the White House is determined to tough it out, as it has through a myriad of scandals. And the tactics to protect the president are clear. First, the White House will pressure the military to deem Bergdahl unfit to stand trial. That stage is already being set. After doctors treating him declared Bergdahl physically fit to return home (guess he wasnt dying, after all), theyve kept him secluded in Germany, making it known that he is in their view mentally unprepared to return to the States. The administration is going to go with the defense that Bergdahl is unbalanced, was unbalanced, and will be unbalanced. If military doctors refuse to play along, an impartial civilian expert will be called in. If that doesnt work and the too- crazy- to- court martial defense flops, the next step will be to strong-arm the Pentagon to reduce any charge to the comparatively minor Absent Without Leave, or AWOL (although overwhelming evidence exists that Bergdahl deserted). Then Bergdahls lawyers could plead him out, retain some benefits (perhaps all of them) for him, and the administration can claim a victory! He wasnt a deserter after all. If some unexpectedly ethical general refuses to play along and the case goes to a court-martial, the administrations fallback will be to insist on a thorough re-investigation that pushes any court-martial past Obamas 2017 departure from office (one suspects that Team Obama would love to dump this in Mrs. Clintons lap). But wont the brass stand up for fairness, military discipline, and justice? The bitter truth is that they havent thus far. Our generals knew within days of Bergdahls abandonment of his post that the evidence was overwhelming that he had deserted (ask them, under oath). But they made the decision to keep it quiet. The initial reason General Petraeus gave to me just days after Bergdahl walked off was that the military wished to shield Bergdahls parents. Heres where it gets interesting and ugly. The noble POW story took off politically. Commander after commander played along (as did Congress). Worse, the Army itself tried to beautify Bergdahl as some sort of hero-martyr to the troops, printing up solidarity posters and even creating life-size pasteboard cutouts of Bergdahl. Naturally, the troops knew it was BS (you cant fool Private Snuffy very long, and word soon gets around). The agitprop was amateurish but outrageous (majors put up the posters, and sergeants rolled their eyes). Every officer involved in that effort should be relieved of duty. Its time for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, to man up. He inherited this Big Lie, but he shouldnt pass it on. Its his duty to follow the legal orders of our commander-in-chief, but its not his duty to provide cover for the presidents political shenanigans. As for Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, hes clearly a lost cause on this case, with his claim that you cant prove that any soldiers died because of Bergdahl, even though they were killed while the massive search for Bergdahl was underway and they died where they otherwise would not have been. (Dear Secretary Hagel: From one former sergeant to another former sergeant, show a glimmer of decency. Youre acting like some damned officer.) As for President Obama himself, theres far more news to tell. For all his pretensions about his regard for the troops, this man has lavished vastly more attention on the family of a deserter than any other military family has ever received from him (just as Bergdahl is getting more intensive medical attention than a genuine hero would). And youre thinking, Rose Garden, right? But this has gone on for years, with a full colonel or brigadier general ordered to report to the Bergdahl family every three to six months with an update about their son. Has the White House taken so great an interest in the families of those whove been gravely wounded in the line of duty? Or of those who died? No, it has not. The White House fell in love with a family clearly several raisins short of a full bowl of granola. Not despite their sons desertion, but because of it. Mr. and Mrs. Bergdahl, too, have been Obamas pawns. Our outrage should aim at the president, not them. Of course, Private Bergdahl himself is the perfect soldier for those whose concept of our military was formed by Oliver Stone movies. Reportedly disillusioned with the war, he just walks away, a model of nobility, to seek out the enemy and find common ground. Bergdahl is a hero for everyone on the left who despises our military. Its a shame Sean Penn is too old to play the role. Meanwhile, with a straight face, Obama and his fellow travelers in the White House and media caution us not to pre-judge Bergdahl. That would have been a more credible plea before the president and his advisers pre-judged Bergdahl as a hero. In closing, let me paraphrase the words of a fine U.S. Army lawyer from the past: Mr. President, have you no shame? Ralph Peters is a retired Army officer, a former enlisted man, and Fox News Strategic Analyst.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 19:37:37 +0000
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