Bill O'Reilly vs Military Experts

Arden and I enjoy watching Bill O'Reilly in the evenings.  He's not really an idealog like some of the other talk show hosts (although I often think he plays both sides to keep his ratings up.)  And he's been the #1 show on cable for years running.

Sometimes, however, I just don't understand why he does certain things.  Last night he had retired Colonel David Hunt on the show to talk about Syria.  Hunt was invited as an expert yet, after giving his educated opinion on what should and should not happen in Syria, O'Reilly proceeded to tell him he was wrong and why. It was the second time this week he had done that.  Last time it was Colonel Hunt and retired Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters.  They both had very similar opinions about what should happen and O'Reilly told them they were wrong.

So what Bill is saying in his own way is "You guys are the military experts but based on my years as an English teacher and radio and TV talk show hosts, I know better than you."  It's quite sad, really.  O'Reilly wants to bomb Syria because he believes America will look weak if we don't do it.  I've got news for him - we already look weak because it's been nearly a month since chemical weapons were used in Syria and we not only don't know who did it but President Obama hemmed and hawed and didn't do anything for a couple of weeks after it happened.

I'm not an advocate of bombing Syria - at least not now.  If it was to happen the President should have called Congress back for an emergency session immediately, put it to them and acted on the decision within days.  It's difficult to justify bombing Syria for using chemical weapons after talking about it for a month.

Yesterday it was reported that chemical weapons had been used again just outside Damascus.  And although it's being reported that Assad did it, I don't believe it.  I don't believe Assad is that stupid and our military has affirmed that the rebel forces have or had chemical weapons.  It is also believed that Al Qaeda, who is assisting the rebels, is using the chemical weapons in order to gain assistance from the President.  Colonel Hunt said that helping the rebels, supplying them with weapons and explosive ordinance, would be a huge mistake because there is no guarantee that Al Qaeda wouldn't get their hands on the weapons.  O'Reilly, in his naive ignorance, said the Obama administration promised to vet the rebels they would give weapons to in order to prevent that. Uh...  Bill?  Seriously - do you really trust the rebels and Al Qaeda?  Really?

It was also reported yesterday that the CIA is already supplying weapons to the rebels.  Apparently Obama has made his decision to help the Al Qaeda backed rebels, once again going against the wishes of the people.  The majority of Americans, me included, believe we should stay out of Syria at this time, regardless of who is using chemical weapons.  We are not alone.  Only one other country has committed to oppose Assad and that's France.  And they won't supply anything but talk.

I must admit when O'Reilly tells the military experts they're wrong I talk to the TV. Being former military myself it irritates me when lifelong civilians try to tell the military their business.  I'm not saying military leaders don't make mistakes.  It happens.  But O'Reilly has no expertise to be telling military experts what they should or should not be doing.

We'll continue to watch his show.  As I said - I like him most of the time.  I've read three of his books, including Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy, and they were all great.  Bill's an intelligent man and knows a lot about a lot of things - including how to irritate me.  But he's entertaining.  And in the evenings that's what I'm looking for.