The Swiftboating of An American Prisoner of War
In 2004, Secretary of State John Kerry was a candidate for President of the United States. A group calling themselves Swift Vets and POWs for Truth waged a now discredited vicious campaign against then candidate Kerry to attack his military and service record in Viet Nam. The group claimed John Kerry inflated his role in the military and was a traitor to his country for his anti-war activities upon returning home. These were particularly personal attacks upon his character and after Kerry lost the presidency, it turns out none of those things for which he was accused were true. In spite of the fact that the group has been resoundingly discredited for their outright lies, the falsehoods they told remain deep in the psyche of the rabid Right Wingnuts as ‘fact’. To wit; the term ‘swiftboating’ has come to mean an untrue or unfair political attack or smear campaign.
And that’s precisely what’s happening to Bowe Bergdahl, the last American POW to be rescued from Afghanistan after 5 long years in captivity – the Swiftboating of Bowe Bergdahl has begun in earnest.
Researching this story, I relied on the news stories from the time he was taken, not on new accounts of the time he was taken, five years after the fact. Perhaps the best and most reliable account came from the late Michael Hastings in a piece that appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine. Hastings managed to outline the background and history of Bergdahl’s service and a reasonable motive for him leaving the base. It may have had nothing to do with being a deserter or a traitor. It may have had everything to do with a young man arriving in Afghanistan to find a military in complete disarray, a unit with low morale and no discipline, and a non-existent leadership structure – and Bergdahl was a young man who relied on structure. He took his military service seriously and his missions were undertaken with intensity. He was considered ‘strange’ by his fellow service members because he didn’t smoke or drink beer with them and would spend time in his bunk studying maps of the countryside and listening to tapes trying to learn the local dialects. Not so strange when you consider he was a serious man posted there in an ‘outreach’ unit to befriend the locals and get them on the side of the Americans. Now that Bergdahl is U.S. custody due to negotiations by the U.S. State Department and President Obama, a public relations firm has been hired to ‘spin’ Bergdahl’s ordeal in a move to politicize the end of the war and create another non-scandal scandal for President Obama. We’ll get to the shameless hypocrisy of that shortly.
To give you some background, there was a neglected neighborhood boy who practically lived with me for a good deal of his youth. I remember signing him up for peewee football league and paying his fees. I remember buying his school clothes. I remember helping him pick out a tux for prom. And then I remember the day I was sitting at work and he walked into my office wearing Army fatigues. He was 18 years old and I wasn’t his mother, but my heart sank. He held both of my cheeks in his hand and said, “Don’t worry, Mama. I’ll be okay.” Six months later he was spending his first night in Iraq speaking to me on Skype. This was a kid I’d known since he was 8. I saw fear in his face and heard fear in his voice. I’ll never forget him saying, “I can hear the bombs going off in the distance, Mama. I’m scared. I’m really scared.” There were reassurances and comforting words belaying my own fears and when the conversation was over, there were a lot of tears he never heard. And when I say this was a kid I’d known since he was 8, I mean he was an inexperienced-don’t-know-shit-about-life young man, but a man old enough to serve his country. It’s the Mama in me referring to him as a kid. He was no kid. He was not yet a mature adult. This is a fair depiction of a lot of young Americans sent to fight a war over mythical WMDs in two countries who had nothing to do with 9/11. Many of those young soldiers became quickly disillusioned with the realities of war, as was the case with Bowe Bergdahl. Something easily verified in the content of his emails home.
Of course, Bergdahl doesn’t have the luxury of hiring a P.R. firm while still in military custody being debriefed on his 5 years in captivity. This of course has provided ample opportunity for the GOP to set up their campaign describing him as an A.W.O.L. deserter, an outcast and a traitor. Not smoking and drinking with the gang is now considered a vice and studying the local culture, suspicious. His former platoon mates have been recruited to go on television and describe him in the least flattering terms possible. Their airfare was comped and it is unknown if they received other compensations from this public relations firm and I’m absolutely not saying they were. What I’m suggesting is that a soldier doesn’t have to leave the battlefield to suffer from PTSD and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities to think that may have played a part in his leaving. We know he visited another military base. We know he went to a local establishment and allegedly got drunk. We know he and several Afghanis were abducted, according to military intelligence.
But don’t we owe it to the military and to Bowe Bergdahl themselves to tell us what happened that night? And after that night?
Our dear brothers and sisters in journalism over
at Fox News took to the airwaves to suggest Bowe Bergdahl’s father should cut his hair and shave – because he looks like a terrorist. Because they believe they know what terrorists look like. Of course, what a terrorist looks like depends on whom you ask. If you ask people in Isla Vista, California, they’ll tell you a terrorist looks like Elliott Rogers. If you ask anyone who confronts the Open Carry people about their sanity and public safety, they’ll tell you a terrorist looks like a redneck with a long gun strapped to his back in a restaurant. Perhaps Fox News could stop being the self-appointed arbiter of who does or does not look like a terrorist. Mr. Bergdahl immersed himself in the culture and language of his son’s captors, knowing his every word would be picked up over the internet. Had it been my kid, I’d wear a burqua and falsely pledge allegiance to Allah, Mohammad or whomever else I thought they wanted me to.
And let’s address the ‘Obama negotiated with terrorists’ issue. Let’s address the falsehood that America doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. From our friends at Media Matters:
PolitiFact: Experts Say “America Actually Has A Detailed History Of Negotiating With Terrorists.” According to PolitiFact, the U.S. “has a long history of negotiating prisoner trades in times of war.” Former State Department official Mitchell Reiss noted the U.S.’s history of negotiating with terrorists that dates back to the Founding Fathers: “There’s little that’s actually new here,” said Mitchell Reiss, who worked in the State Department under President George W. Bush and served as national security adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. “It may be new to certain individuals. Whether it’s new or not is not as important as whether it’s sound policy and promotes national security. That’s the ground where there’s a more legitimate debate.”In his book, Negotiating with Evil, Reiss wrote that America actually has a detailed history of negotiating with terrorists and rogue regimes that support terrorist activity.
After the North Koreans captured the U.S.S. Pueblo in 1968, President Lyndon Johnson apologized for spying as part of negotiations to secure the release of 83 American prisoners.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon pressured Israel, Switzerland, West Germany and Britain to release Palestinian prisoners after two airlines were hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
During the Iran hostage crisis of 1979 to 1981, President Jimmy Carter agreed to unfreeze $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets after more than a year of negotiations with the Iranian revolutionaries.
In perhaps the most famous swap, after seven Americans were captured in Beirut, Lebanon, President Ronald Reagan agreed to send missiles to Iran in what became known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
President Bill Clinton’s administration sat down with Hamas in attempts to negotiate peace with Israel. His administration also worked directly with the Taliban nearly two decades ago on several occasions to see if the group would hand over Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders.
Reiss also noted that President George W. Bush engaged in negotiations with Iran and North Korea even after decreeing them part of the “Axis of Evil.” [PolitiFact, 6/1/14]
The scorching hypocrisy of the Right Wing pundits can be felt across the globe. We don’t have to like these facts, but rewriting history because of the hatred toward President Obama doesn’t fly. The Right will continue to be in full Hair On Fire Mode for matters of convenience, never based on fact and you can bet responsibility for the next American taken anywhere in the world will be blamed on President Obama, despite the fact our country has a long history of negotiating with terrorists. And let’s not forget the Geneva Convention. Section 11, Article 118 states all prisoners must be released and repatriated at the cessation of war. Given that the war will be officially over in a matter of months, it was merely a matter of a short time before they would have to be released anyway. The war is effectively over, so suck it up, Buttercup.
If we’re going to have a moral debate on whether or not we ever leave a soldier behind, by all means, let’s have it now and let’s have it long and loud. Let’s assure anyone signing the contract to serve our country that if they’re taken prisoner, according to Fox News, you should be tried in the court of public opinion first and if you’re not deemed worthy of saving, prepare to spend the last day of your life in the hands of your captors as a prisoner of war. Let’s see how many people are willing to sign on the dotted line given that little salvo the next time this country is lied to about weapons of mass destruction being in a country that had nothing whatsoever to do with the 9/11 attacks.
I am in no position to know what happened with this soldier and frankly, neither is anyone else. It’s time for the disgusting speculation on the part of the press to end immediately too. Michael Hastings was a real journalist who did his job. The beltway media and cable news are merely parroting press releases delivered from the GOP public relations firm.
This is America. We do not under any circumstances leave a soldier behind on the battlefield. If Bowe Bergdahl did something wrong, it’s up to a military tribunal to determine the facts and adjudicate the case. Not me. Not you. Certainly not Fox News.
Here is a link to the Director discussing the issue.. But, Please keep the petty insults coming.. It displays your intellect for the world to see.. The Elderly Cat Lady.. Scorned~! lmao.. Reduced to a life of fear and anger surrounded by her cats.. Now.. So Intellectuality handicapped she is unable to even engage in meaningful debate with out being reduced to petty insults and name calling.. Maybe it should read Scared Cat Lady instead of Opinionated Bitch.. I guess Tomato to Tomato.. rotflmao.. http://thehill.com/policy/technology/206786-fbi-chief-people-should-be-suspicious-of-government-power#ixzz32PtOIaoQ
Dave, Dave, Dave. I forgot, you’re the comedian. I think if you can refer to me as the cat lady, I can point out your mental deficiencies. LOL! LOL! ROTFLMAOI Aint that a knee-slapper, Dave? If you come here and toss insults, then you’d best be prepared to take them. The Hill – a very Right Wing, but fancy looking blog cleverly disguised as news with a lispy guy in a suit pretending to be a reporter. And not a single link to their sources. You promised a link to the Director discussing the issue. You posted a link to a guy talking about a completely different issue giving heresay about what the Director supposedly said. You see, Dave – that’s not news. It’s people making shit up. For all the world to see. And for the gullible like you to swallow. I’d be happy to engage in meaningful debate, but you don’t want to debate, Dave. You’re not interested in facts, Dave. You’re interested in people who parrot the same things you believe without a shred of evidence. Nothing in that story that proves Bob Bergdahl is the secret attorney for the Gitmo detainees. Nothing in that story showing proof that Bowe Bergdahl is a terrorist. I’ll sign off as the Scared Cat Lady if you’ll sign off as Dave Demento Who Wouldn’t Know A Credible Source If It Bit Him In The Ass. You’re done here, Dave.
Dave, your link was about the growth in State-surveillance, which REALLY kicked-off under GWB, Cheney, and Gonzales. Something rarely mentioned by right-wing news orgs. The sole exception seems to be Alex Jones, who is paranoid about EVERYONE: http://www.infowars.com/print/patriot_act/alexs_analysis.htm
whilst that is all well and good however, this was supposed to be about Bergdahl, and perhaps THIS is the link you meant to post?
http://thehill.com/opinion/markos-moulitsas/208898-markos-moulitsas-right-retreats-on-troops
it does rather seem more relevant. Wouldn’t you say?
49% of Americans believe their own Government is out to harm them.. Wow.. 150,000,000 delusional people.. They just have their Uncle Sugar All Wrong.. I’m Just thanking God.. Elderly Cat Ladies Scared Of Boo.. Don’t Determine The Policies that Govern The American People.. Cost to eradicate poverty in America for the year 2012~? 3 Billion Dollars.. The Cost To Fight Wars in 2012~? $1750 Billion Dollars.. Yes.. I’m The Delusional One.. Yeah Right.. rotflmao..
I’m not certain upon what you base your figures that 49% of Americans believe their own government is out to harm them, through proof doesn’t appear to be your strong suit, Dave. Still think Bob Bergdahl is a UPS driver by day and the secret lawyer for all the Gitmo detainees by night? And while I’m uncertain how the mashup list of your complaints against the government in any way convicts an American soldier of treason and means we should have just left him there, then Dave, it makes you pretty typical of the far right. Cat ladies and poverty and voters… OH MY! Cat ladies and poverty and voters, OH MY! Yes. Dave… take your meds. Taps your heels together three times and say, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Run along now, Dave. You’re missing the Glenn Beck comedy hour followed up by an hour of Rush Limbaugh. Then you can get your bah bah and blankie for nap time and settle in for some Sean Hannity reruns. If you’re a good boy, we’ll let you listen to Alex Jones and Infowars later. Buh Bye.
I could not agree more!!!
Well spoken Carol, in the article AND in the comments. The right-wing has started using psyops in their everyday ‘reporting’ (commentating).
people like Dave and Robert above would be convinced the US Army was coming to “get them” at the drop of a hat – but until then will call everyone else “traitors”.
they’ve lost it.
When a deadbeat rancher named Cliven Bundy is the cause celeb for not paying his fair share, sucking off the gub’mint tit he claims to hate, incites the gun humpers to a state of Nirvana…. but an American soldier who volunteered to serve his country is taken prisoner (and I have no reason to believe otherwise) is adjudged guilty without benefit of a trial or have any opportunity to defend himself… then I can think of some people who need to abandon the word ‘patriot’ right now. The difference between me and them? I think Cliven Bundy has every right to be a leech. He lost in court – multiple times. He decided to try his case in the court of public opinion. You don’t have to like the government. You don’t get to aim loaded guns at BLM agents who were sent there to do a job. Those agents didn’t make the rules they were following orders like, you know, soldiers. It’s a miracle no one got seriously hurt in all that. So far, nothing they’ve said can be proven. I’m a facts-driven lady. I live for credible sources. I noticed the soldiers who served with him are attacking his character, but they have some explaining to do. Some of them were on guard duty. Sounds to me like they weren’t doing their jobs if he was able to just walk away. Multiple times. If they want to talk character issues, they should talk to me – not Sean Hannity.
“Corruption at the core spreads outwards”. It is such a give-away – IF the troops HAD been sent in to “liberate” Afghanistan and bring development, then the political and military leadership would have been at pains to ensure that most soldiers behaved as Bergdahl. Learnt the local language(s). Socialised with Afghans. Learnt the local customs as equals. They would have been rewarded the better they achieved with these ‘hearts and minds’ skills.
By every act, decree, comment, bomb and bullet that came out of Washington, the truth of the neo-Conservatives compared to their propaganda was exposed – to both Afghans, the troops, and liberal aware Westerners/world populations.
only those deliberately blind could keep up the illusion of benevolence behind the occupation.
the strain on those few with a stronger conscience and sense-of-humanity, than trained sociopathy and ‘follow-the-herd’ mentality in such a situation will be incredible.
frankly, Bergdahl MUST be a kind of hero, – for it is far easier to just kill a soldier than keep him alive. He must have impressed his captors – and how many other American lives did he save, just by showing the Taliban that not all Americans were the pigs they seemed to be?
i doubt he will enjoy being back in the US, even before the Nazi media started this campaign. He would want to tell people the TRUTH of this war – and that will not reflect good on the Republicans. Perhaps that is another reason why they character-assassinated him? I could not think of a better US-Afghan Ambassador.
(As long as H Clinton is not in charge of his security detail.)
i doubt Fox will be making a TV series of his autobiography…
Neil – I am so simultaneously impressed and gobsmacked at that analysis, you leave me speechless. And that’s a Herculean feat. Ask my friends. Well done. While I suspect you are completely correct in his role, I’m still willing to wait and see what the military says. But this unilateral demonization by the Reich… it ain’t flying with me.
First of all our leaderships are liars from hell. There are plenty of stories that these SOB’s make up…so lets not be naïve. If the young man is guilty then he would have been court martialed long ago. I served in Military and they don’t play ask anyone going AWOL even accidently or on a technicality…the Military will deal with you quickly. I believe in getting two sides to a story, researching all I can before judging anyone. That’s whats wrong with our country…when people tell the truth then some think tank from the govt comes along and discredits them….let’s get all the info before we judge the man. Remember when the pro footballer was murdered by his own men….the truth was he found out the military was helping the Afghans with the dope trade…this is no rumor …many of our men know this to be the truth.
I’m perfectly fine with waiting for the military to decide what this young man did or did not do. I’m not willing to try him in the court of public opinion. I think you make some very valid points.
It (The Government) proved he Deserted years ago. GUILTY PERIOD!
Robert, I’ll be happy to accept that out government found him guilty of desertion years ago as soon as you can provide the documentation of his Court Martial. Accusations aren’t conviction. But I thank you for coming here and making my case for me. You’re a gem.
I see by your comments you have firmly aligned to the Administrations talking points.. Do they provide you all the talking points on a daily or week basis~? You may however want to check your story with the folks on the ground.. Oh Wait~? You Don’t Have To.. The Administration has already done that for you..
Dave, I don’t believe asking people to withhold judgement until they have in all the facts makes me a lackey for the Administration. They don’t generally hire me to be their mouthpiece. You see, I’m not afraid to admit I don’t know everything. I don’t swallow every conspiracy theory that comes along and when people give me reason to be suspicious of their political motives, I generally am – I.e., hiring a public relations firm to seek out and put on television only those critical of him. Sometimes rushing to judgement just makes someone a judgemental asshole, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Dave?
Thank goodness for people like you, Carol. It does my heart good, as we say in the South.
And by the way, Dave – when the military tells me he was a deserter and a traitor to this country and he is found guilty by court martial, I will accept whatever decision they make. When the military tells me he’s guilty, that’s when I accept he’s guilty. You don’t get to be the judge, jury and executioner. There’s a reason for that, you know. Right?
I guess the father Tweeting that he’s in negotiations the release of gitmo detainees. Sounds like every truck driver I’ve ever met~? Never one time in history.. Why T-Roy our local septic truck driver is currently in negotiations with Cube to release political prisoners.. The men in his unit indicated it seemed like the hero’s father was more interested in being a lawyer for the detainees.. Their words not mine.. Please Feel free to take the word of a deserter & politicians with a 6% approval rating.. Over The Honorable In His Unit.. How That Been Working Out For You So Far~?
Dave, after that comment… I can only encourage you to embrace Obamacare and all it has to offer. It covers a myriad of mental conditions, including the mass paranoia from which you’re clearly suffering, son. Bob Bergdahl is not some secret lawyer for all the Gitmo detainees while posing as a lowly UPS driver. Now you’re just making things up out of whole cloth. That’s Alex Jones Infowar, WND conspiracy theory stuff right there. That’s where I stop entertaining your fantasy world.
Dave, quit while you’re behind and before you need to dig yourself out from an even deeper displaced set of sentiments.
So the the war is over? Maybe you need to tell the Taliban.
Hmmm… 13 year long war and we’re mere months away from leaving. Yeah… when you run a marathon, at the 26 mile marker, you consider the race all but done. Pro Tip: If we want the Taliban to stop attacking Americans, maybe we should leave and stop bombing their countries. If we wish to stop being the targets of terrorism, perhaps we should stop participating in it. You don’t seem to understand the difference between al-Queda and the Taliban. Knowledge is a powerful thing.
Egads. What a story!
I’m just asking folks to withhold judgement against the soldier and his parents until we know the facts. I notice none of those excoriating them have ever walked a mile in their shoes.
Your are right their.. No one should even be sent to war or left behind for that matter.. That Being Said.. I am left of left and this story has real problems.. Like his dad is the lawyer for the Gitmo detainees. What are the odds~? You guessed it’s 7.5 Billion to 1 also you are inferring the rest of men in his group are dishonorable liars~? So This Guy Is The Hero~? A the rest of his unit are dishonorable Liars~? Does That Sound About Right~? I’m filing this under~? If you don’t want the scrutiny~? Don’t write the press release..
Dear Dave: Scrutinize away. First, let’s start off with your false statement that Bowe Bergdahl’s father is the lawyer for the Gitmo detainees. Bob Bergdahl is a commercial truck driver. I mean, WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT? Second, I did not say this man was a hero. You can’t find that word or anything that even intimates I meant that anywhere in this piece. I said I don’t know. I said you don’t know. I said we should wait until people who DO know can tell us what really happened. Nowhere did I call the other men who served with him “dishonorable” or “liars”. I’m saying they may have been told things at the time that weren’t true and have been carrying a grudge for 5 years off misinformation. It’s not like the military EVER put out disinformation, right? I’m saying they probably don’t know much more than the rest of us, but when the GOP hires a P.R. firm who can sit these guys down and tell them what a raw deal everyone got because of this soldier and offer to pay their airfare and perhaps some much needed cash and put them on TEE VEE and make them famous – when none of us ever heard of or from them 5 days ago, I have a right to be suspicious. I’m filing this under the: “Someone Decided to Come In Close Minded and Try to Put Words In My Mouth and Then Try To Intimidate Me Into Being Quiet But It Didn’t Work” file.
Good response
He is a UPS delivery guy! Not a lawyer! So, was he delivering UPS packages to Gitmo detainees maybe?? :-/
I’m still laughing over the idea that Bob Bergdahl was a UPS driver by day and the sole attorney for all of the UNCHARGED individuals *read ‘terrorists’ by the uninformed* detained at Guantanamo Bay. But seriously, facts are so inconvenient for some folks…
Sounds right!