As an attempted military coup unfolds in Turkey, a statement from President Obama urged all sides to support the democratically elected government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Lt. Col. Ralph Peters told The O'Reilly Factor that Obama "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. They're for democracy. They're for a secular constitution."
Peters said that President Obama "romanticizes Islam."
"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 lamented what he called the dismantling of a great, fascinating country with a rich history by "an Islamist fundamentalist authoritarian president."
"And our president is taking his side," he added.