Lt. Col. Ralph Peters Says 'God Bless' Those Staging Coup in Turkey, Slams Obama For Siding With 'Islamist Authoritarian

Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (Ret.) blasted President Barack Obama Friday for siding with Turkey's "Islamist fundamentalist authoritarian president" following an attempted military coup in the country.

In a statement, Obama urged all sides in Turkey to side with democratically-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but Peters thinks the commander in chief "should have just kept his mouth shut, because the people staging this coup are on our side."

"They're against the Islamists, fundamentalists and extremists," he said during an appearance on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" Friday night. "They're for democracy. They're for a secular constitution."

According to Peters, a strategic analyst for Fox News, those staging the seemingly failed government overthrow are the "good guys." He said the coup is Turkey's "last chance to avoid becoming an authoritarian Islamic regime, if not an outright Islamist dictatorship."

"They're trying to save their country," he said. "[G]od bless the people trying to save Turkey, a country for which I have great affection, but right now it doesn't look good."

As president, Peters said Erdogan has been "dismantling the secular constitution" and "packing" the courts, legislature and the upper ranks of the military with "Islamists." Furthermore, he said the Turkish leader "is not our friend, is not Turkey's friend."

But Obama "romanticizes Islam," Peters said.

"He's somehow talked himself into believing that Erdogan is our ally and friend, where he has been insidious and pernicious, undercutting our interests," he added.

Later in the interview, Peters lamented the dismantling of a great country by Erdogan.

"And our president is taking his side," he concluded.

One Turkish politician told TheBlaze the government was never really out of control, adding that the "people have won" following the attempted overthrow.

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