Can Peter Bergen be so dumb???

[choie]

I'm watching Peter Bergen, the official expert on "Osama Bin Laden", give a presentation on BookTV. Bergen was asked about the war in Iraq and he responded that he believes the Bush administration and their minions (my term) went to war for the reasons they stated, i.e. for democracy, wmds, etc, and not for oil, hegemony, empire, etc. or anything nefarious. Can he really be that stupid? that naive? or a shill for the administration? What's going on? :wtf:

[cali]

1. I've always thougt Bergen

was a pretty bright guy, and I'm not sure that his assessment is that far off. I believe that a significant part of the reason that bushco went to war was to remake the mideast. That's not a good thing. The whole concept of "spreading democracy" is in itself a breathtaking demonstration of ignorance and hubris. However, Bergen's denial that oil factored into the equation is patently false.

[Totally Committed]

2. Bergen is a really smart guy... but,

if you've ever read anything about the objectives of PNAC... "hegemony, empire, etc." are what would have sent them there, so I see what you're saying, for sure. Maybe he's just trying not to piss the Bushies off too much so as to keep his pipeline into the Pentagon open. I'm personally waiting for the book Bergen wrotes AFTER the Bushies are put out of power for good.

TC

[choie]

3. is it at all possible

that Bergen never read PNAC's material?

[Totally Committed]

4. He was one of the first to talk about PNAC in public, actually...

Then he became the "expert" on Osama Bin Laden, and it stopped immediately. I think he's trying to protect his access... I really do.

TC

[underscorenow]

5. I bet he's just a pansy who doesn't want to get smeared.

...or, perhaps, he knows that saying the truth will keep him from getting access he needs. In his case, I could forgive that since he's not a prominent talking head; at least not in the sense of someone who has their own regular podium like, say, Chris Matthews.

[underscorenow]

6. he's probably playing dumb

he knows that saying the truth will keep him from getting access he needs. In his case, I could forgive that since he's not a prominent talking head; at least not in the sense of someone who has their own regular podium like, say, Chris Matthews.

[PaganPreacher]

8. "Playing dumb".... sure he is!

That's exactly what professionals who expect to have their opinions respected and listened to, do...

they play dumb!
:eyes:

This is what playing dumb gets you:



The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[Totally Committed]

9. He has to be "playing" dumb... because he's brilliant in reality.

Anyone who saw his "conversation" with Christiane Amanpour on CNN International on the first anniversary of 9/11 saw one of the most intelligent and informative 15 minutes CNN ever gave us. He talked about Osama, the Taliban, the "War on Terror"... everything, and AManpour being the journalist she always is, matched him where necessary, and let him talk uninhibitedly for the rest of the time. And, he spoke freely then. But, it was for an international audience. I notice he's a bit different when he does American media appearances, so I can only conclude he's protecting his access to information that he feels would be closed to him if he spoke out on everything.

And, let's face it, not everyone has what it takes to be Scott Ritter.

TC

[Mz Pip]

7. Thosde two reasons are not

mutually exclusive. Much of the PNAC philosophy subscribes to a sort of domino theory in the mideast - if one nation becomes democratic the other nations will follow and it will be all in our best interests. Dealing with 'friendly' democracies would be much easier than dealing with what's in place now.

THing is, the theory is far too simplistic. Democracy is the icing on the cake of a society that is already fairly open. That doesn't exist there and we certainly can't make it happen by going to war.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[ProSense]

10. Bergen is an expert on Osama, not Bush

That maybe why CNN can't get the motive for Bush's war right:

On Saturday, February 4 at 9:00 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader
Peter Bergen
Watch

http://209.144.51.202/General/index.asp?segID=6645&schedID=399

snip...

Author Bio: Peter Bergen, a fellow at the New America Foundation and an adjunct professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at John Hopkins University, is the author of "Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Bin Laden." He is a terrorism analyst for CNN and has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic and Rolling Stone. For more information, visit www.peterbergen.com.

Publisher: Free Press 1230

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

11. He met Bin Laden, and describes it all in "Holy War, Incorporated"

I got the book shortly after 911 and read parts of it, it was very interesting.

I too think he is a smart guy, and a brave one.

But at times I am very aware when he is asked if Bin Laden is alive or is it him in a tape, his stock is going to lose a lot of value if Bin Laden isn't alive.

So would he say it if he didn't think it were OBL or if he thought he was dead? I don't know. I hope so.

[Quakerfriend]

12. Unfortunately, he's recently become a man with $

prof. at Johns Hopkins, speaking engagements etc. I think he's protecting himself.

I have heard him speak much more freely and honestly in the past.

[JamRock]

13. Deception is a necessary WAY OF STAYING ALIVE these days

[radio4progressives]

14. i always figured him for an operative intelligence community

move along now, nothing to report here..

just catapultin' th' prop o ganda so it finally sinks in..

just revising history here, substituting one set of text to replace the other set that didn't ever exist before, and oh yes don't forget to delete the rest. and never mind the newly released articles by people in the science and military community, proving that the official story is a hoax.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20060130/bs_prweb/prweb339303_5