The Soldier Donald Trump Called a Traitor - The NYT Editorial Board

[DonViejo]

By THE EDITORIAL BOAR DNOV. 26, 2016


The case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier who, after leaving his post, was held hostage by the Taliban for five years, became a recurring theme of Donald Trump’s unruly campaign speeches.

In August 2015, Mr. Trump fired up a New Hampshire crowd by calling Sergeant Bergdahl “a dirty rotten traitor.” He proceeded to falsely claim that “six young beautiful people were killed trying to find him.” Then he dismissed arguments that the former hostage’s “psychological problems” may have led him to walk off a base in Afghanistan in 2009. “In the old days,” Mr. Trump said, pantomiming an execution by pretending to fire a rifle twice. “Bing bong.”

Those remarks are certain to loom large over Sergeant Bergdahl’s court-martial, which is scheduled to start in April. Sergeant Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior in front of the enemy; a guilty verdict could result in a sentence anywhere from no jail time to life. But how can he get a fair trial in the military justice system when the next commander in chief has proclaimed his guilt and accused him of treason?

The short answer is he can’t. Eugene Fidell, Mr. Bergdahl’s lawyer, says he intends to submit a motion the day Mr. Trump takes office, cataloging the roughly 40 times Mr. Trump made disparaging remarks about his client, and seeking to have the case dismissed. “There is no precedent for a candidate running for high office to go after a single individual like this,” Mr. Fidell said in an interview. “Because he is at the pinnacle of the chain of command, what he says not only has direct and indirect legal consequences but symbolic potency.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/opinion/sunday/the-soldier-donald-trump-called-a-traitor.html?emc=edit_th_20161127&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=57435284

[Achilleaze]

1. Well, at least Bergdahl didn't weasel into 5 freaking Draft Deferments, like the Republican wanker

Comrade Casino (R) not only dodged the draft 5 freaking times, he also skips merrily away from responsibility and dodges paying any freaking taxes at all which fund and support our US military.

[Laf.La.Dem.]

2. Unlike Bergdahl - Trump IS a military hero!!

He went to a "Military" school - had had several paper cuts

[redwitch]

4. And he has the Purple Heart to prove it! nt

[democrank]

3. Donald Trump, the deferment-laden, self-proclaimed military expert

knows nothing about Bowe Bergdahl`s situation in any real way. He can "bing bong" with a pretend rifle all he wants, he`s still unqualified to comment....or to be Commander in Chief.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

5. That POS tRump is unqualified to clean out the latrines!!

[DinahMoeHum]

6. A former Vietnam POW agrees. . .Free Bowe Bergdahl.

https://www.veteransforpeace.org/who-we-are/member-highlights/2016/03/03/vietnam-pow-speaks-bowe-bergdahl

(snip)
A personal note here: I was held for 8 years as a POW in Vietnam, along with hundreds of other American airmen as time went along after my capture. I was trained prior in a Navy survival school. And I was a Navy Lieutenant, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. So unlike Bowe, not only did I have training for the possible eventuality of being captured but I was also with fellow Americans. We were able to support each other and resist as an organized, military, team.
What a difference from the circumstances of PFC Bowe Bergdahl. What a difference we experienced upon repatriation, welcomed as returning heroes. Bowe is being court martialed.
(snip)
(snip)
We all need to examine what is really going on here. The upcoming court martial of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl is just a signpost of a much deeper, cancerous infection. And punishing this low-ranking man who never should have been in the Army in the first place is anathema to any kind of justice. Free Bowe Bergdahl!
(snip)

More about Philip Butler, USNA 1961, Cdr USN (Ret.) here:
http://phillipbutlerphd.com/

[onecaliberal]

7. That maggot isn't fit to wipe Bergdahls ass.