Peter Bergen

So I am now being told by CNN and other media that Peter Bergen is a Middle East expert. The man is not trained in Middle East studies and does not know one language of the Middle East region. But why--you may ask--is he treated as a Middle East expert and lectures on the Middle East at two of the least academic graduate institutions in the US (Kennedy School at Harvard and Johns Hopkins' SAIS)? The answer is simple. He netted a rare interview with Bin Laden before Sep. 11. So if I were to interview the Chinese President, you would treat me as a China expert? What gives?