Sen. Joe Lieberman distinguishes himself from the maddening mush emanating from elected leaders and the chattering class on the Foot Hood massacre. He states what should be, and I think is to ordinary Americans, obvious: this from all appearances is "the worst terrorist attack since 9/11." Based on what we know, Lieberman says that Hasan seems to be a "self-radicalized, homegrown terrorist." Shocking, I know, to tie the murderer's own words, actions, and behavior to the heinous slaughter of our troops, but there's precious little of that going on so far. Lieberman therefore proposes a full-blown investigation, citing plenty of evidence that Hasan "turned to Islamist extremism":"If that is true, then this was a terrorist act," Lieberman said.There are indications that Hasan supported that act, Lieberman said.
"This is not the first attempt by Islamist extremists to go after U.S. military bases," the senator added, noting foiled plots to attack Fort Dix and Quantico and the shooting death of an Army recruiter in Little Rock, Ark., by a Muslim convert this summer.
The Homeland Security chairman also urged the Department of Defense to launch an independent investigation "to see if warning signs were missed."
The military, said Lieberman, needs to have "zero tolerance" for those expressing extremist views. "He should have been gone," the senator said.
The administration and elite opinion makers squirm when they hear such talk. Perhaps it was "stress." Maybe he's just a nonideological nut. The obtuseness in a post-9/11 world is mind-boggling.