Fort Hood Terror Attack

Most of the dust has settled in Texas and some aspects of the terror attack are becoming clear. Immediately following the attack various incorrect information was flying back and forth in the news casts. At one point the report was there were three attackers. At another point we were told the lone gun man was killed only to be told several hours later that his condition improved from dead to critical. Now that a few days have passed there are things we know for sure and things we suspect. Here is how I see it:
Things we know:
* Thirteen people are dead. Sadly, few will remember them and many will remember the terrorist. Click this link to learn a little about the victims.
* The alleged shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, is an active duty Major in the United States Army and was a medical officer specializing in psychiatry.
* Hasan was due to deploy in the near future.
* Hasan is a Muslim.
* Our immature president mistakenly elected last November is still not ready to lead.

Things we suspect/believe:
* Hasan's understanding of his Muslim faith played a part in his decision to commit this act. Hasan yelled "allahu akbar" before starting to kill people in cold blood.
* Hasan, like the 11 September terrorists, tasted some of the decadence they supposedly denounce in our culture. In his defense, the strippers did say he was a good tipper.
* Hasan acted alone. Not 100% certain, but pretty sure he acted alone.
* Hasan was influenced by a radical imam and worshiped at the same Mosque as two of the 11 September terrorists.
* Hasan was an opinionated officer who openly expressed anti-American views that should have been red flags to his peers and superiors.
* The Army is ill prepared (scared even?) to deal with radical Muslims in the ranks.
* Army Chief of Staff, General Casey needs to retire. Actually, this should probably be in the first section as something we know to be a fact.

"I think the speculation could potentially heighten backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And what happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here," Casey said.

Things we don't quite suspect, but are wondering:
* Hasan may have contacted al-Qaeda. Apparently, he attempted to contact al-Qaeda, but we don't know if he was successful. Based on what I know, my guess is this nut was not part of a sleeper cell or anything like that.
* Is our military's commitment to the idea of diversity leaving our troops vulnerable? Evidence is mounting that our troops need to watch some folks who should be trusted comrades. Between this case and other cases where Muslims in the ranks tossed grenades into tents, you have to wonder about divided loyalty.
* Is this evidence that our intelligence agencies are still not communicating to other agencies despite that being one of the key take improvements that was supposed to come out of the 9/11 commission?
* Are some more interesting in CYA than in a full investigation? Time will tell. Initial impressions are not great. This morning Bill Bennett of National Review Online makes a great point along this line. Some idiot Navy pilots went to Las Vegas for the annual Tailhook conference and misbehaved while drunk and after a complaint we investigated every inch of the conference. That investigation wasted a year and destroyed many a career. I would hope this investigation is taken as seriously as some complaints of sexism by a few drunken sailors.