Obama: Don't turn Fort Hood hearings into 'political theater'
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama cautioned members of Congress Saturday not to politicize questions surrounding the November 5 shootings at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.
"I know there will also be inquiries by Congress, and there should," Obama said in his weekly radio and Web address. "But all of us should resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into the political theater that sometimes dominates the discussion here in Washington. The stakes are far too high."
Obama has already ordered leaders of the military and intelligence community to complete a full review of the incident, and offer recommendations on ways military security might be improved.
"If there was a failure to take appropriate action before the shootings, there must be accountability," Obama said Saturday. "Beyond that – and most importantly – we must quickly and thoroughly evaluate and address any flaws in the system, so that we can prevent a similar breach from happening again."
Next Thursday, the Senate's Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing to assess the events leading up to Major Nidal Malik Hasan's shooting rampage that killed 13 people.
Obama has to hope, that the long years of freedom from terrorism under Bush, are not now at an end, and that terrorism may be returning under Obama's watch. He's be the cause of it. Obama's indecision, and tepidness, may encourage a new wave of terrorist activity.
There would be no problem if the 24-7 "news" acted at all responsibly. As it is, they have too much incentive to milk such controversies for all they're worth - at the cost of the Republic. After all, asking a Senator to shoot of his/her mouth is a lot cheaper than trying to cover world news.
The first thing to do is allow the soldiers to be armed at all times. Our military is trained in the use of weapons and the conditions that allow their use. No one can protect the soldiers better than the soldiers themselves.
Too late. Palin has already scheduled a visit to Ft. Hood as part of her tour to promote her book. Where I'm sure she'll use the opportunity as a civilian on an army base to bad mouth their Commander in Chief.
As a 30 year-plus Soldier still on active duty I'm pleased to have a Commander In Chief with maturity, integrity and wisdom. However, the useless members of Congress, the wing-nuts, and an opposition Party deeply in bed with Corporate America make the task all but impossible.