In a letter sent Tuesday, 23 House members who’ve served in the military demanded that a Fox analyst apologize for implying that the Taliban should kill a captured U.S. soldier. One congressman went further, saying Fox should fire both the analyst and Bill O’Reilly.
The letter, sent to Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, called the comment by Lt. Col. Ralph Peters “repulsive and deserves to be repudiated” by Fox. The letter demanded that Peters apologize to the family of the soldier, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, “and to the thousands of soldiers who put their lives on the line for our country.” The letter (PDF) was signed by 14 Democrats and nine Republicans.
Mr. Peters’ comments are so far beyond the pale that they don’t even approach the decorum and respect deserved by a member of the United States Armed Forces. Mr. Peters’ indefensible comments call into question, without any supporting evidence whatsoever, PFC Bergdahl’s patriotism and commitment to his country, and suggest in a non-subtle way that he deserved to be captured. The events surrounding the capture of PFC Bergdahl are irrelevant at this point. The only priority should be his safe and immediate release to U.S. forces.
One of the letter’s signers, Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), demanded Wednesday that Fox fire both Peters and Bill O’Reilly. Peters went on the O’Reilly Factor Tuesday night, when both men referred to Bergdahl as a deserter who may be “mentally disturbed.” Massa said:
I want to see Mr. Peters and Mr. O’Reilly fired immediately for their inexcusable attacks on a prisoner of war. Their comments aid and abet our enemies during a time of war and the burden is on Fox News to prove that they reject this by taking the tangible action of issuing an apology and firing both of them.
Peters first made the comments — that the Taliban would save the U.S. “a lot of legal hassle” by executing the soldier, if he was a deserter — on Sunday. On Tuesday night, he backpedaled a bit, saying he hopes for Bergdahl’s safe return. But he still said the private is a “deserter,” citing an anonymous military official, and called him a liar and a “nut.”
