[Ken522]

This COL Peters fellow needs some education - it's okay to talk that way within the unit, but that kind of talk is never to leave the unit.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Dittos Ken.

[Edward Watson]

I watched the entire interview with Ralph Peters - he repeatedly uses the “if” qualifier. In addition, I’ve been following Col Peters for years and never fail to read his articles in the New York Post. He is without doubt one of the best strategists in the US today.

Here’s the scenario: an American soldier vanishes from his platoon in a war zone. “IF” he deserted his platoon - he is a traitor, plain and simple. His desertion jeopardizes the lives of his unit. After several days, he appears to be captured by the enemy in a propaganda video, where he is repeatedly lying about his unit and the circumstance of his disappearance.

What to do? Col Peters was very clear, if, if, IF he deserted and went over to the enemy - he’s a traitor. However, if the investigation shows he didn’t desert, then and only then can we say he’s not.

Besides, since when does a captured soldier automatically become a “hero”? It has always bugged me that so many are quick to call some people “heroes” when all they’ve done is get captured by the enemy.

[Mount Athos]

This COL Peters fellow needs some education - it's okay to talk that way within the unit, but that kind of talk is never to leave the unit.

I saw the interview and I think Ken here has it right. Yes Peters did qualify statements a lot with "if", but it doesn't matter, it's still silly to talk this way in public, it's the kind of talk that should happen within a specific audience in the military crowd not a public Fox interview.

There is no evidence at all that he intentionally went to the Taliban. There seems to be testimony that he deserted.

His relatives, when asked, said only the first sentence of his speech sounded like the real him, the rest sounded like statements under duress. They said the talk that he wanted to get married back home wasn't right, because he didn't even have a serious girlfriend. Their perception was that he regretted the situation he was in. I think the talk about getting married might be a way of signaling to people that everything he is saying is forced and not real. So peters shouldn't jump on him so fast for saying what he does.