On CBS’ Face The Nation Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss refused to believe that Bowe Bergdahl was tortured by the Taliban, and wanted the story verified he would believe it.
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Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) was asked about the reports that Sgt. Bergdahl is saying he was tortured. He answered, “I think there are going to be a lot of things that Bergdahl tells the Army and the medical folks that he is talking to now that are going to be very difficult to validate, but that’s not to say they’re not absolutely true, but we weren’t there. We have nobody who was on the inside, so we don’t know what happened in his life over the last several years, except we do that he was he was captured and he was in the Taliban’s hands for these number of years, so I just suspect that you’re going to have number one rumors coming out about what he me maybe saying, but then other actual statements that he may make that are going to be very difficult to validate, and again, that’s not to say they’re not true.”
Chambliss’s answer should sound familiar because it is the same sort of language that Republicans used for years when they questioned President Obama’s birth certificate. Republicans spent years saying that President Obama probably was born in the United States, but they can’t be sure because they have never seen his original birth certificate. Sen. Chambliss was applying the same rhetoric in this case. Chambliss was suggesting that Bergdahl might be telling the truth about being tortured, but he doesn’t know because there isn’t someone else there to verify the story.
There are physical signs of torture that can be found through medical testing, but Republicans are still trying to discredit Bergdahl so they don’t want to discuss science and facts. It is unprecedented for a POW to have their claims of torture by their captors doubted, but that is exactly what Republicans are doing. The Taliban is infamous for their use of torture. Bergdahl’s claim falls right into line with what is know about Taliban tactics and behavior.
There is no reason to doubt Sgt. Bergdahl, and the source of this doubt lacks credibility. Saxby Chambliss received five student deferments to get out of going to Vietnam. Chambliss also swiftboated a triple amputee Vietnam veteran to win his Senate seat in 2002. He also said that he would have raised holy hell over the prisoner exchange to bring Bergdahl home.
No matter what the circumstances were that led to his capture by the Taliban, Sgt. Bergdahl put on the uniform and served his country. He has more courage than Saxby Chambliss could ever hope to possess. Chambliss is the lowest of the low, who made his Senate career by attacking veterans.
The more Republicans talk, the worse things get for them. Their attempt to smear and politicize Bowe Bergdahl is showing the real hypocrisy of the GOP’s stance on war and treatment of those who serve.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
