On Fox News Sunday yesterday, Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman boldly yesterday suggested that Major Nidal Malik Hasan could have been an Islamic extremist, and that his violent attack at Fort Hood in which he is accused of killing 13 people and wounding another 29 was a terrorist attack.
Lieberman, the Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, cautioned that it was too early to reach conclusions, but said that what was known was that Hasan was under personal stress "and if the reports we are receiving are accurate," that he had turned to Islamic extremism. If true, Lieberman told Fox News' Chris Wallace, "the murder of these 13 people was a terrorist act, and the most destructive terrorist act on U.S. soil since 9/11", but he added at the end of that statement, "we don't know enough to say."
And Lieberman said yesterday that he is prepared to conduct an investigation into any signals the Army might have missed in knowing more about Hasan.
We don't know enough to say now, but there are very, very strong warning signs here. The U.S. Army, the Department of Defense has a real obligation to convene an independent investigation to go back and look at whether warning signs were missed, both the stress he was under, but also the statements he was making that have led people to believe he was an Islamist extremist."
Meanwhile, ABC News is reporting that the U.S. intelligence agencies were aware that Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with Al-Queda.
Investigators want to know if Hasan maintained contact with a radical mosque leader from Virginia, Anwar al Awlaki, who now lives in Yemen and runs a web site that promotes jihad around the world against the U.S.
In a blog posting early Monday titled "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing," Awlaki calls Hassan a "hero" and a "man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people."
Representing the military on three different talk shows yesterday was the U.S. Army's Chief of Staff, General George Casey Jr., who admitted he was concerned about the possibility of Muslim troopers experiencing a backlash of Hasan's violent act. And Casey said, "It would be a shame- as great a tragedy as this was - it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well."
And yesterday on CBS "Face The Nation", Rhode Island Democratic Senator Jack Reed said that in the wake of the Fort Hood tragedy, Congress needs to take a closer look at what the Army has been doing in terms of adequate care for U.S. soldiers.
South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham said it was "easy to second guess" at this juncture, but that he wouldn't do so. He said to wait for the evidence to unfold and not overreact. He said, "You can be in the military and disagree with policy (which Hasan reportedly did). It' s not about his religion, it's not about Islam, it's about him."
In trying to reinforce Graham's point, host Bob Schieffer added that "Christians have had their full helping of nuts" as well. Schieffer also asked what the Fox News analysts suggested yesterday: That the military had been afraid to investigate Hasan because of fears they'd be accused of discrimination.
Graham said, "His action's don't reflect the Muslim faith. ...let's not take this to another level. Let's not suggest that we gave him a pass because he's a Muslim."
Representing the military on all of the talk shows yesterday was G
Nidal Malik Hasan remains in critical condition, but was removed from his ventilator on Saturday.
