Who Should Investigate Ft Hood? Obama? Congress?
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NOTE: This item’s also posted for discussion on page 5 of this ongoing thread here.
Editor's Note: Is Obama correct? Should Congress hold off investigating this incident until the the feds and military law enforcement finish their investigation? Tampering with evidence, leaking information, jeopardizing the case -- I see these as concerns. But they are concerns with a White House led investigation and a Congressional investigation.
Obama urges Congress to put off Fort Hood probe
By PHILIP ELLIOTT (AP) – 11/15/09
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to hold off on any investigation of the Fort Hood rampage until federal law enforcement and military authorities have completed their probes into the shootings at the Texas Army post, which left 13 people dead.
Lawmakers, however, already have announced they want their own investigations and were frustrated with what they view as a less-than-forthcoming administration.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iwYEFasV3WqznkJoN2-BwT...
I agree, let law enforcement do it's job.
charlie
www.wlos.com
Lawmakers brush off Obama calls to delay Fort Hood hearings
November 15, 2009 01:57 EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- ...Obama's plea for Congress to hold off on investigations...isn't deterring lawmakers.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate, however, say they plan to go ahead with the investigations.
http://www.wlos.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/3bd3c3d3-www.wlos...
Please Congrss has to have something to attempt to blame someone to deter any responsibility for their own
meddling in executive areas where they have intruded for years.
Obama has to have timer to blame BUsh.
Find the bastard guilty execute him then have at it!
They (Congress dems) will never understand tehy want to kill us!
Congress has enough things to do, let law enforcement handle it. There will be plenty of time to point figures and place blame on everyone but the killer.
Should Congress hold off investigating this incident until the the feds and military law enforcement finish their investigation?
Washington should stay out of the investigation and the prosecution. The only thing Washington needs to do, is to make sure it never happens again.
I hope they're as equally frustrated with the administration that was administrating in December, 2008.
washingtonindependent.com
Levin Postpones Senate Committee Briefing on Fort Hood
By Spencer Ackerman 11/16/09 12:45 PM
Just released from the Senate Armed Services Committee staff:
Today’s Senate Armed Services Committee briefing on the shooting incident at Fort Hood, Texas, has been postponed. The committee will send out a notice when the new date for the briefing has been scheduled.
=====
Update: Committee spokeswoman Tara Andringa clarifies that, indeed, the postponement came “at the request of the administration.”
http://washingtonindependent.com/67918/levin-postpones-senate-committee-...
I hope they're as equally frustrated with the administration that was administrating in December, 2008.
That's it? That's all you've got?
The man who sits in the White House -- who sat in the White House the day that this wackadoo committed mass murder of our troops -- the man to whom the perpetrator had political ties -- is calling for a different branch of government to stop investigating "for now."
The man who made this mass murder terroristic act #3 or #4 in his speech to the nation, and who only off-handedly remarked upon it in his campaign speech to the Interior Dept. and the Indians, but who had no problem saying, "I don't know all the facts...[but] that the Cambridge police acted stupidly..." has "suggested" to the legislative body -- whose job it is, last I checked, to keep the balance of power from all residing in one single buffoon -- that they treat this murderer differently than they would treat you or me or my next door neighbor if we had done the same thing.
And the very best you can come up with is to lamely attempt to blame Bush?
I am by no means a supporter of George W. Bush, but I couldn't help but notice that he didn't call upon anyone to stall this investigation in the wake of 13 funerals of 13 men and women who volunteered to put their lives on the line to guarantee our freedom.
In fact, I am unable to come up with a single instance of George W. Bush ever asking Congress to stall any investigation.
Are you applying for a job as a czar, Bob?
During the Bush administration even when the rats were in the minority they still held hearings, even though they were sham hearings.
When did anything in Washington stink as much as this thing does?
I hope they're as equally frustrated with the administration that was administrating in December, 2008.
PTBDS
Now hang on, folks, I am not blaming Bush any more than you are blaming Obama, or people right here on AMG have blamed Clinton for terrorist acts which were planned under previous administrations, nor any more than rabid Bush supporters right here on AMG blamed George W. Bush for the 9/11 attacks in NYC.
I blame the man who picked up the gun to shoot defenseless folks at Ft. Hood, and I blame all of those who had an inkling of this guy's plans through whatever intelligence was available.
You CANNOT deny the culpability of the people in charge back in December, 2008, as well as those in office today. It weren't me who first laid the blame for this heinous act at the feet of a U.S. President.
...any more than you are blaming Obama...
You CANNOT deny the culpability of the people in charge back in December, 2008, as well as those in office today. It weren't me who first laid the blame for this heinous act at the feet of a U.S. President.
An investigation would probably bring that possibility up. But without an investigation, all is just speculation.
I am not blaming Mr. Obama for the terrorist act. I AM blaming him for calling for a coverup, which is the upshot of what he's doing. It is Mr. Obama, and Mr. Obama alone, who is trying to postpone an investigation.
wsj.com
* U.S. NEWS
* NOVEMBER 17, 2009
Army Plans Fort Hood Probe
Goal Is to Learn Whether Officials Failed to Heed Suspect's Troubling Behavior
By YOCHI J. DREAZEN
The Army is preparing an internal probe into the Fort Hood shootings that will focus on whether military personnel should have done more to sound alarms about...Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan...
[A]n announcement about the make-up of the investigative team/its exact powers would likely be made soon.
"The idea is to look at every aspect of Hasan's military career to see if the system could have done more to spot this guy..,"
SBM Honors the Fallen
Pictures and brief biographies of those who were murdered and injured at Ft. Hood
Sen. Lieberman Defends Congress' Role In Nidal Hasan Probe
11/18/09
LIEBERMAN: And I can tell you on behalf of Sen. (Susan) Collins (of Maine), my Republican ranking member, and I that we're going to be persistent in pursuing what we think is our responsibility to get to the bottom of not the criminal case but the civil case, our responsibility to determine whether employees of the federal government did their best to stop this from ever having happened.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/11/sen_lieberman_defends_congre...
200 Web sites spread al-Qaida's message in English
Increasing numbers of English-language Web sites are spreading al-Qaida's message to Muslims in the West.
They translate writings and sermons once largely out of reach of English readers and often feature charismatic clerics like Anwar al-Awlaki, who exchanged dozens of e-mails with the Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood shootings.
The U.S.-born al-Awlaki has been an inspiration to several militants arrested in the United States and Canada in recent years, with his Web-based sermons often turning up on their computers.
Today's date (November 22) made me wonder what it would have been like to have the Internet (and AMG) around 46 years ago. Wow!
The shootings at Fort Hood - A preliminary assessment
By Sen. Susan Collins
R-Maine
Thursday, November 26, 2009
[T]he shootings at Fort Hood may indicate that communication failures and poor judgment calls can defeat systems intended to ensure...vital information is shared to protect our country and its citizens. This case also raises questions about whether or not restrictive rules have a chilling effect on the legitimate dissemination of information, making it too difficult to connect the dots...
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091126/GJOPINION03/7...
wsj.com/ 4/25/10
How Could the Fort Hood Massacre Happen?
The administration continues to withhold crucial information from Congress.
By Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins
[T]he administration continues to withhold much of the crucial information from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which we are chairman and ranking member.
This is just not good enough for the American people. There are too many questions that still demand answers. Whatever mistakes were made in the run-up to the Fort Hood shootings need to be uncovered, and an independent, bipartisan congressional investigation is the best way to do it.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870462770457520418268077433...
Independent,bipartisan,congressional investigation can have double meanings . One....witch hunt. Two...coverup .
Truth will vanish if Congress gets involved so lets hope they stay out of it and let the FBI do the job . Terrorist acts in this country IS their job.
Is it not the political correctness that is pushed by the liberals that have muzzled those who saw the dangers but kept quiet for fear of being castigated as biased? Much of what needs to be said and reported in our country and government today remains unsaid for fear of being labeled a racist or anti Muslim. This is wrong and will undo our country. The liberals are to blame and they are unaware that they too will suffer if the ultimate goal of a Muslin country is attained.
Those who say it cannot ever happen are fooling themselves. We are sliding down a very slippery slope and picking up speed, while the liberals and our leaders have their heads firmly stuck up their butts.
The last thing we need is congresscritters publicly airing:
1) Stuff that might be important evidence, but which might NOT be admissible,
2) Opinions that Hassan is guilty, a la' our USAG ,
3) Giving the defense something like a shot at all the witnesses.
Yeah, in the prctical sense, Hassan is guilty as hell. However, the concept of fair trial requires that we treat him as, in essence, unjudged until the jury returns its verdict. We do NOT want to have the case tried in Kamchatka ('cause that's the only place to get an unbiased jury), nor give the defense a lot of ammunition that is generated solely by the post-event congressional hearings.
I vote (as if I have one) - Congress stay out of this case. OK to look at overall procedures, while keeping a big piece open pending receipt of the Hassan verdict and trial testimony.
The correct question is:
Should the Senate Armed Services Committee be looking into the Ft. Hood shootings, or the Senate HS&GA Committee?
Because, despite that both Lieberman and Collins serve on both, Lieberman doesn't have subpoena power on Armed Services - he doesn't chair that committee. And the Pentagon and FBI are willing to meet with Armed Services - it's the committee they usually meet with for such matters.
This is all about Joe Lieberman's ego, and nothing more. Susan Collins is just along for the ride with her BFF.
Congress should just get the hell out of the way. This guy is an active duty soldier and will be tried by military courts martial. I have not seen any information on an Article 32 hearing which would precede a General Courts Martial. There will be plenty of opportunity post trial for Congress to examine this issue.
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I believe there is no reason for Congress to insert itself into the middle of the prosecution of Major Hasan. There will be plenty of time after his trial is completed. Trial venue will be an issue in this case and Congress does not need to further complicate the issue.