The Missing Soldier

The dropped charges for a non-crime in Cambridge beat out news of an American soldier held captive by the Taliban last week. I must say I have been surprised by the lack of coverage of the loss of Bowe Bergdahl, especially in the right-wing media, where the loudest noise has been on Fox News where he has been accused by Ralph Peters of being a deserter. You'd think there would be outrage at the potential treatment he may be enduring at the hands of the Taliban. I'm not sure why. My three best guesses are that a) the media may have been asked to tone down the coverage to help the military find him; b) he's from a pretty liberal town and so is not a "real American" and so his capture is more akin to a foreign soldier being caught; or c) no one wants to talk about the torture of American soldiers by the Taliban since the US effectively withdrew from the Geneva Conventions in 2002 and so has no standing to complain. I'm open to other suggestions. But I was stunned to hear this statement from the Pentagon:

"I'm glad to see he appears unharmed, but again, this is a Taliban propaganda video. They are exploiting the soldier in violation of international law."

Since when does the US respect international law in the treatment of prisoners in wartime? Even the current administration refuses to investigate or hold accountable anyone in the seven years of torture and abuse that ended last January.