Yousef al-Khattab, New York Fanatical Muslim, Cheers Fort Hood Massacre

From Fox News, "New York-Based Radical Muslim Hails Fort Hood Massacre":

A New York City bicycle cabbie who mocked the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl and posted a prayer on the Web calling for the murder of Jews is now sending a "Get Well Soon" message to the suspected Fort Hood gunman, the New York Post reported.

Yousef al-Khattab, 41, a radical Muslim in the borough of Queens who runs RevolutionMuslim.com, claims on the site that the soldiers massacred at the Texas base deserved to be massacred, and he insists the victims are in "eternal hellfire." As for the suspected gunman — Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan — Al-Khattab hails him as a hero.

"An officer and a gentleman was injured while partaking in a pre-emptive attack," al-Khattab wrote on the site. "Get well soon Major Nidal. We love you."

Al-Khattab, a Jewish-born New Jersey native formerly named Joseph Cohen, converted to Islam in 2004. Known by the FBI for posting radical messages online, al-Khattab claims that the 13 murdered and 38 wounded soldiers at Fort Hood were "terrorists" who deserved to die.

"These people are soldiers in a volunteer army," al-Khattab told the Post. "They expect to see combat. They know the danger."

"Rest assured the slain terrorists at Ft. Hood are in the eternal hellfire," al-Khattab writes online.

Also, "New York-Based Muslim's Web Site Calls for God to 'Kill the Jews'."

Plus, more here, "U.S. Based Revolution Muslim Website Spreading Messages of Hate." I actually visited Al-Kattab's hate-driven website this morning, via Kathy MacGinn's post, "Homegrown Hate."

See also, the New York Post, "America-Hater in Queens Hails Hood Massacre."

RELATED: Jeffrey Goldberg, When Muslims Commit Violence. (Via Memeorandum.) Plus, Robert Stacy McCain, "Fort Hood Massacre: Jeffrey Goldberg on the See-No-Evil Elite."

Obama Predicts Senate Passage of Health Care Monstrosity: Meanwhile, Lieberman Pledges Filibuster

As noted this morning, all eyes are on the Senate following House passage of the disastrous ObamaCare monstrosity. But we knew this was coming -- the president is doubling down: "Obama Predicts Senate Passage of Health Care Bill After 'Historic' House Vote":

But Senator Joseph Lieberman, appearing of Fox News Sunday, pledged to filibuster a Senate bill that includes the public option:

If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote because I believe debt can break America and send us into a recession that’s worse than the one we’re fighting our way out of today. I don’t want to do that to our children and grandchildren.

Interestingly, it turns out that Obama personally lobbied Representative Joseph Cao for his support on the House side. CNN reports, "Lone GOP vote came after call from President Obama." (Via Memeorandum.) But check Micelle Malkin, "Health Care Takeover Roll Call Vote — and What GOP Rep. Joseph Cao Got From Obama; Plus: Organizing for America Hustles More Money."

Dan Riehl's giving Cao the benefit of the doubt. But Proud Conservative Gal's got Cao's number (don't doubt a "Dump Cao" campaign in the very near future):

This traitor needs to go. The GOP needs to quit funding the campaigns of RINOS such as him. I find it interesting that one twitterer who responded to a tweet that I posted advocating that he needs to be voted out responded with "Unfortunately he is as conservative as we are getting in that district." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" ABSOLUTELY NOT! The time for compromise is over. We need to raise up true red blooded conservatives all across the nation that will run to unseat RINOS who run on the coattails of our party and then support their own radical liberal agendas. Can you say Dede?

Are you mad as "HELL" yet? If not get off your apathetic arses and join in with the millions of conservative voices that will fight with every last breath to win back our party and save the Country that we love from descending into the abbys of SOCIALISM.

We keep hearing politicians throw around terms such as this corporation or that institution is too big too fail. Americans let get this straight......AMERICA IS TOO BIG TO FAIL! We need to keep fighting. I for one will never give. Lets's send a message to Cao and his ilk....Votes have consequences so start packing!

Let that be a lesson for the upcoming Senate health care vote. It's unlikely that any GOP senators will defect, not even Olympia Snowe. But it pays to keep score on these things.

See also, Pat in Shreveport, "Anh Joseph Cao - One is the Loneliest Number."

Conservatives Rising: Why Right-of-Center Candidates are Succeeding in the Age of Obama

From Yuval Levin, What Coattails? Why Right-of-Center Candidates are Succeeding in the Age of Obama":

All year, leading democrats from the president on down have argued that the Republican Party is in the midst of a catastrophic civil war. You know the story. Successive election defeats have narrowed the GOP's ideological range, and now an open struggle is afoot for control of its voice and agenda. Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, it seems, are out to destroy Republican moderates and commit the party to a radical course sure to relegate it to irrelevance. Only a move to the left can save the Republicans.

And, in fact, the new president and Congress had a real opportunity to divide the Republican Party. A moderate stimulus bill that offered a short-term boost and included a meaningful tax-cut component, for instance, might have won a very significant number of Republican votes in Congress last winter and launched a damaging internal GOP battle over the proper role of the opposition. Some restraint on taxes and spending in general, and on health care and energy policy in particular, would also have divided congressional Republicans and left the direction of the party in doubt.

But Washington Democrats chose a different route. While they have been peddling the story of Republican self-immolation, they have actually been creating the conditions for a Republican resurgence. President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid have launched the country on a course of massive spending, a dramatic expansion of government, and a slew of new taxes in the midst of a recession. Finding themselves in control of Congress and the White House and so possessed of an unusual opportunity to pursue their ideological agenda, they have sought to make the most of it. But they have misjudged just how far to the left of the country as a whole the Democratic base now resides—and so, rather than strengthen their own brand, they have inadvertently done wonders to build and unify the Republican Party.

In Congress, Republicans now march nearly as one, to a degree not seen in 15 years. Rather than split on the stimulus, conservative and moderate Republicans easily agreed that it went much too far to the left. The bill received zero Republican votes in the House and just three in the Senate. On many crucial votes since, and in the ongoing health-care and cap-and-trade debates, Republicans have stood together almost unanimously.

Around the country, the party seems to be regaining its balance. Last Tuesday's election results were an extraordinary boost for Republicans. They showed that it is not necessary to run away from the party's conservative brand to win elections. On the contrary, Republicans running as Republicans seem to succeed in the age of Obama, and to attract independent voters in droves.

More at the link.

Cartoon Hat Tip: Theo Spark.

Does Harry Reid Have the Votes on ObamaCare?

Ed Morrissey's got a great rundown on the House vote last night, "Is This the High-Water Mark for ObamaCare?"

As he notes there, the rubber hits the road in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid's under pressure to produce a healthcare monstrosity that a majority of Americans opposes. The Politico's got the story, "All Eyes on Sen. Harry Reid." But the bottom line is who's going to vote for the bill in the upper chamber? A bit of that calculation's at NPR, "House Hands Health Care Challenge Off to Senate."

Note first that Harry Reid is vulnerable. See Rasmussen, "Election 2010: Nevada Senate Race: Harry Reid Trails Republican Challengers in 2010 Election." And as Liz Sidoti reports, "Democratic leader Harry Reid is woefully unpopular in Nevada. Six Republicans are competing for the chance to topple him the way GOP Sen. John Thune of South Dakota did to then-Democratic leader Tom Daschle in 2004."

The prospects of facing defeat next year must weigh on Senate Democrats as they contemplate their healthcare votes. (See, "2010 elections: Democratic Fears, Republican Hopes.") Reid will need the support of all 58 senators from the Democratic caucus. He'll also need the support of Connecticut's Joseph Lieberman, the Independent Democrat who has pledged to oppose any health bill that includes the public option. And on this morning's "Face the Nation," Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina announced that the Nancy Pelosi ObamaCare cram-down would be "dead on arrival" in the Senate:

Also, from Bill Dupray, "Democrats Celebrating Too Soon on Health Care?":

In the Senate, the Democrats need 60 to break a filibuster, and several Democrat Senators have expressed deep reservations about the breadth and expense of the bill . . . and the Senate bill is nowhere near as broad and expensive as Pelosi's. Also, in the House, the minority party cannot control or obstruct the majority. In the Senate, not only can a minority party obstruct legislation, a single Senator can do it.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has flat-out said he will filibuster the bill. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) will not support the Public Option.

And they are not the only ones.

Independent Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman said Tuesday that he would support a Republican filibuster against the bill unless it's changed. Key Democratic moderates including Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; Ben Nelson, D-Neb.; and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., also said they were uncertain how they'd vote, expressing deep reservations about the public plan.

And Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the only Republican to have voted for any version of health care reform, reiterated Tuesday that she's "disappointed" in Reid's proposal and will not support the government option.

The wavering, and in some cases crumbling, support for the package demonstrates how much of a gamble the Nevada Democrat took by unveiling a bill Monday that includes the controversial government plan but has no Republican backing. And it's a reminder of the warnings made months ago by Senate Democrats like Kent Conrad, D-N.D., that a public plan simply does not have the votes to pass and should not be included in the final bill.

More action at Memeorandum.

Calling Bull: Major Malik Nidal Hasan and PTSD

It's just so much bull. The terror-enabling left and the radical lamestream media have been pumping up the "post-traumatic stress disorder" explanation forf the murderous terror rampage at Fort Hood. Check out this piece for example, "Major Malik Nidal Hasan and PTSD: Was Stress Disorder to Blame?":

Fort Hood is an army base with the highest number of Army suicides and it is believed that this is due to it being the arrival and departure point for soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Hasan had also recently been told he was deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan himself.

The funny thing is PTSD apparently holds even if you've yet to be deployed. It's called "vicarious traumatization," and can be applied to health professionals serving military personnel. Laura at the Green Room's got a roundup, "Hasan with PTSD? Or Media With Factitious Disorder By Proxy?"

But see Iraq vet J.R. Salzman, "PTSD":

You want to know what fucking PTSD is like? I'll tell you. You have nightmares that go on for weeks. Mine would always be the same. Wherever the window was in the room in which I was sleeping I would see a bright white flash. I would wake up screaming to my wife “Get up! Get the fuck up! An IED just went off!” Sometimes I would just wake up screaming in agony as I relived the moment where my right arm was ripped from my body by an Iranian shape charge. (I may not know what childbirth feels like, but I know what it's like to go an hour with my arm ripped off without painkillers (I'm allergic to morphine).) PTSD makes you paranoid as hell. “Why is that person staring at me? Are they a threat? Where is the nearest exit? Why are these people so close to me? Why is no one pulling security? What was that noise? Where is the nearest cover? I need to get out of here.” You lie wide awake in bed at night wondering if it's safe to go to sleep or if you should get up and start pulling security. When I got home from Walter Reed and started college (a week later, stupid idea) I would often stay up for days at a time without sleeping. Eventually my body would completely shut down from exhaustion and I would sleep for 12 hours or more only to complete the cycle all over again. (I still cannot believe I got all As and Bs.) Since I was injured in a humvee I am especially susceptible on the road to the effects of my PTSD. I still get nervous and hold my breath every time I drive by a piece of trash or tire debris on the shoulder or median. I avoid guardrails and broken down cars on the side of the road. On a couple different occasions I yelled out “tire!” to warn my wife (who was driving) of a potential IED in the road. There was nothing there (no tire, no nothing). One late night while driving home completely exhausted on our small two lane country roads at slow speed I locked up all four tires on my car to keep from hitting a cardboard box in the middle of the road. At that moment I would have bet the contents of my bank account it was an IED. That's what fucking PTSD is like. At no point in time have I ever felt the desire or need to grab a weapon and go shoot someone or something up. At no point in time have I ever grabbed a weapon and broken a law because I felt the need to protect myself. PTSD urges you mitigate the risk of events that happened in your life. But if you've never had anything traumatic happen in your life, you can't fucking have PTSD.

More at the link.

Hat Tip: Maggie's Farm.

Bill O'Reilly on Leftist Fort Hood Coverage: 'The Guard Has Changed'

Bill O'Reilly on the left-wing press coverage of the Fort Hood rampage:

"We did 5 million viewers at 8 O'Clock, wiped out CNN and MSNBC, wiped them off the face of the earth. The guard has changed in this country. The media guard has changed. And you know why people came in here, because they knew they were going to get an honest story. They weren't going to get spin that Hasan is some kind of post-traumatic syndrome victim. Some kind of victim of a terrible public policy gone awry. They're not going to get that..... I almost said a bad word. They're not going to get that garbage here."

Yep, and check Atlas Shrugs, "Round-Up of Jihad in America Just This Past Month":

Since mid-October, here are the highlights of jihad activity in America. Don't tell the media or the authorities, they are busy searching behind Nidal Hasan's jihad.

Also, from the Chicago Boyz, "The New York Times of Cable News":

It’s no wonder that Fox seems to be driving all the major stories these days. It’s simply a matter of sheer mindshare. A story on Fox reaches more people. When Fox decides something is news it becomes news whether anyone else likes it or not.

Fox is supplanting the role long played by the New York Times and the Ochs-Sulzberger family that owns the 88% of the paper. For nearly 50 years, the Times has sent out its headline for the next day out on the wire and newspapers and broadcasters have en masse synchronized their own stories to whatever the NYT decided to cover. The Ochs-Sulzbergers ultimately decided what was and was not news for the entire country.

Hat Tip: Glenn Reynolds.

Added: Hummers & Cigarettes, ""Homegrown Hate": Are The MSM Finally Opening Their Eyes?"

Babe Blogging: Health Care Hotness!

Look, conservatives can hold their heads high. What a fight! And the House bill barely passed. Now action moves to the Senate, and there's slim chance that Democratic health nationalization will pass there. So, I'm hopeful and holding off on further analysis until tomorrow. Not only that, I'm distracted! I blame Theo Spark! As you can see, our lovely lady here demonstrates a very public option with her forward material. Indeed, she might even be too hot for Smitty's reach-around roundups! Enjoy!

Fort Hood Investigation: Nidal Malik Hasan Bought Armor-Piercing, Single-Action Autoloading Handgun; Suspect Had Logged Onto Radical Islamist Sites

The preliminary results from the investigation into the Fort Hood shooting show that Nidal Malik bought a para-military automatic pistol with armor-piercing capabilities. The Washington Post has the story, "Officials Cast Wide Net in Search for Answers: Evidence Seized From Apartment":

The FBI dispatched agents from Austin, San Antonio and Waco to the scene, and pressed into service a 15-member forensic unit to help military police collect evidence. Agents from the bureau's Washington field office interviewed relatives, neighbors and friends who knew Hasan during his years in the Washington area. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also are on hand to help with weapons analysis.

Investigators also focused on Guns Galore, a firearms store just down the highway from the mosque. Store owner David Cheadle said federal agents interviewed him about the sale of a FN Herstal Five-Seven pistol that was used in the shootings. "It is a popular choice for personal defense," Cheadle said, pulling one from his case, "but it's expensive" -- more than $1,100 at his store.

The gun, made of lightweight polymer, can handle magazines with 20 or 30 rounds. It is a controversial weapon among gun control advocates because it can penetrate body armor when used with more powerful, but restricted, ammunition employed by law enforcement and the military.

An Army official said the suspect had fired more than 100 rounds before he was felled by two Army civilian police officers, Sgt. Kimberly Munley and Sgt. Mark Todd.

Pictured above is a FN Five-Seven single-action autoloading pistol at the Fabrique Nationale website, a Belgian manufacturer with production and sales units in the U.S. (not necessarily the same weapon used by Hasan).

Also, from the New York Times, "Preliminary Inquiry Finds No Link to Terror Plot":

The officials said a continuing search of Major Hasan’s computer indicates that he had logged on to Web sites that celebrated radical Islamic ideologies and that he had exchanged e-mail messages with like-minded people, some possibly overseas. In addition, they believe that he may have written inflammatory Internet postings that justified suicide attacks, though that has not been concretely established.

It's all uncoordinated to any larger terror plot, and so far there's no evidence of any outside direction. Yet, so far the investigation is providing more compelling evidence that this was not just a man who snapped. Nidal Hasan Bought, begining shortly before 9/11, became a commited jihadist and developed an increasingly hostility to the United States and America's missions abroad. It does little good for the administration and commentators to continue insisting that it's too soon to draw conclusions. As we saw this afternoon, Nidal Hasan attended the same mosque as a number of the September 11 hijackers: "Nidal Malik Hasan, Fort Hood Shooter, Linked to September 11 Terrorists."

RELATED: "'I Could Hear the Bullets Going Past Me'" (via Memeorandum).

Anwar al Awlaki, Fanatical Mentor to Nidal Malik Hasan, Calls for 'Allah's Victory' Over West

From Jawa Report, here's the webpage for Anwar al Awlaki, Nidal Malik Hasan's religious mentor at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia. Al Awlaki boasts of the Taliban "making U.S. soldiers" cry in Afghanistan and argues against enemy armies, "Establishing Islamic sharia is an obligation, and fighting in the cause of Allah is an obligation, and if that cannot be achieved except by fighting against these armies then that becomes an obligation."

And here's this, from one of al Awlaki's post, "Could Yemen Be the Next Surprise of the Season?":

America and its allies in the area are plotting against the mujahedeen, nevertheless their growth increases by the day. May Allah grant the true believers victory and grant them steadfastness on His path.

Their intention is to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will complete His light even thought the disbelievers may detest it.

As Jawa Report notes:

Any one who knows anything about al-Awlaki knows he is as radical as they come.

A deeper terrorist plot? No indication of that. But those who continue to claim that the attack had nothing to do with a broader goal of jihad really have nothing left to stand on.

Again, let me remind the simple minded that like most human behavior murder is often motivated by many things. Sure, Hasan very well could have been distressed over an impending deployment and perhaps that deployment was a proximate cause. He may also have been bat shit crazy.

However it is also clear that he held the same world view as the vast majority of Islamist terrorists and that this was at least one of his motivations.

RELATED: The New York Post, "Take a Look at Hasan's Old Mosque," and Outside the Beltway, "Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?." (Via Memeorandum.)

Nidal Malik Hasan, Fort Hood Shooter, Linked to September 11 Terrorists

I just finished an essay critical of President Obama's response to the Fort Hood attacks, "Obama Dishonors Commander-in-Chief Role." I feel even more strongly about this after clicking on the London Telegraph's "Fort Hood Shooting: Texas Army Killer Linked to September 11 Terrorists" (via Memeorandum):

Major Nidal Malik Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a "spiritual adviser" to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001.

Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. His mother's funeral was held there in May that year.

The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organisations.

Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki's teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in Texas, the scene of Thursday's horrific shooting spree.

As investigators look at Hasan's motives and mindset, his attendance at the mosque could be an important piece of the jigsaw. Al-Awlaki moved to Dar al-Hijrah as imam in January, 2001, from the west coast, and three months later the September 11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour began attending his services. A third hijacker attended his services in California.

Hasan was praying at Dar al-Hijrah at about the same time, and the FBI will now want to investigate whether he met the two terrorists.

Charles Allen, a former under-secretary for intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security, has described al-Awlaki, who now lives in Yemen, as an "al-Qaeda supporter, and former spiritual leader to three of the September 11 hijackers... who targets US Muslims with radical online lectures encouraging terrorist attacks from his new home in Yemen".

The mention of Hasan's mother's funeral at the 9/11 mosque is important, for as the Washington Post reported today, Nidal Malik Hasan adopted a strict interpretation of Islamist fundamentalism at precisely the same time as his contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki. See, "Fort Hood Suspect Became More Devout After Mother's Death, Cousin Says."

And what will be the response of the administration? More warnings not to "jump to conclusions?" Actually, yes, as reported in the New York Times this afternoon, "Obama Says Don’t 'Jump to Conclusions'." And in his weekly address this morning, President Obama -- while respectful and thankful for America's past and present service personnel on the eve of Veterans' Day -- downplayed Nidal Malik Hasan religion and never uttered a word about the possibility of a premeditated fanatical Islamist attack against our troops:

So again, compare this post with my previous entry, "Obama Dishonors Commander-in-Chief Role." I'm sure many have strong feelings about this, and it's my position that President Obama only makes such attacks more likely, since he refuses -- out of abject political correctness -- to identify and repudiate Nidal Malik Hasan's actions for what they were: those of a weak coward who hated his country and who killed those pledged to uphold our freedoms. Both the president's and Hasan's behavior are despicable.

**********

UPDATE: Linked at Right Truth, "Unbelieveable, Fort Hood, 9/11 Terror Connection." And check Allahpundit, "Report: Hasan Attended Same Radical Mosque as 9/11 Hijackers; Update: 'He Was a Typical Fundamentalist Muslim'." Plus, Kenneth Davenport, "Obama's Tactless Reaction to the Fort Hood Attack -- What an Abomination."

Added: AubreyJ, "SPECIAL REPORT Fort Hood’s Deadly Mass Shooting Update - Saturday, November 07, 2009."

Obama Dishonors Commander-in-Chief Role

My good friend Dana at Common Sense Political Thought left this comment at the blog (regarding the refusal of President Obama to visit the families at Fort Hood):

I don't know that I'd criticize President Obama on this one: he does have a full schedule, and the President of the United States can't always just drop everything.

I respect Dana immensely, and I'm proud and thankful of his daughter for her service, but there's really little debate on this: American soldiers have been killed on home ground in a premediated, religiously-motivated terrorist attack. The president needs to be with the families of the dead and wounded, and he needs to come out more forcefully against what has happened. The shootings have been described as an act of war by retired military personnel. And actually, I probably wouldn't have posted on the disagreement, but it turns out that Comrade Repsac3 has been trolling the comments this weekend, and he's piggy-backing on Dana's comments to attempt a "consensus repudiation" of American Power.

So, with all due respect, let's go to Flopping Aces:

The priority for the Commander In Chief, IMHO, would be to bypass any planned speech and immediately fly to Austin, Texas, act like a Commander in Chief, go to the site of the shootings, meet with senior staff, assess the situation and events that led to the shootings, speak to the troops, particularly the injured, demonstrate concern and take action based on the findings of your assessment. Such actions should include addressing the families of the fallen and the injured. Assure the American people that their military bases and the security of the bases are not compromised and all possible measures will be taken to tighten what already has been established to safeguard the safety of soldier.

But see also, Charisse Van Horn, "President Obama Handles Fort Hood Shooting With Kid Gloves":

There are many differences between President Obama and former president George Bush but none may be as glaring as President Obama’s handling of the Fort Hood shooting. There is no doubt that former president George Bush would have taken to the airwaves and held a special news conference.

Though President Obama has made three attempts to speak against the violence that transpired on November 5, 2009, he has yet to do so. In each of his remarks, he discussed the facts, the need for patience, and the grief that victims’ families are undergoing. He has yet to condemn the shooting, nor illustrate ways to prevent this from happening in the future.

And, David Horowitz, "Obama’s Ft. Hood Reaction is Far Worse than the Left’s Smear of Bush’s 'Pet Goat' Moment":

Will President Barack Obama be able to avoid negative attention for his initial reaction to the Fort Hood Massacre? His first speech after the killing of at least 13 soldiers on a US military base showed a complete lack of any presidential leadership. It may (and should) go down in history as far worse than the “Pet Goat” incident.

On September 11, 2001 President George W. Bush heard a plane had hit the World Trade Center when he was about to hear elementary kids read a book to him at a school in Florida. Bush had a whisper in his ear from Andrew Card about the plane while he was in front of a group of small children. At that point the complete picture of a full scale terrorist attack was not known. Bush knew something was happening, but he did not know how bad, and he did not want to frighten the kids in front of him.

The book the children read to him was called “The Pet Goat” and that incident has been used to attack Bush by the Left ever since ....

After meeting with the children and getting more information, President Bush gave a short but powerful press conference to the country. It showed great leadership and clarity on what was going on. You can debate if he should have immediately ran out on the kids and then made his speech, but there is no debating the strength of his first public words on the incident.

As the world watched he started out his speech:

“Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.”

Plus, see AOSHQ, "The Narrative: Hasan Was Suffering From Mental Problems. Subtext: So Are All Soldiers And It's Bush's Fault":

Today President Shout-Out said we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

"We don't know all the answers yet. And I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts," Obama said in a Rose Garden statement otherwise devoted to the economy.

Funny but he was willing to reach conclusions within hours of the murder of abortionist George Tiller. Interestingly, it took Him 2 days to issue a statement when a Muslim terrorist killed a soldier at an Army recruitment office in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Seems some incidents call for restraint and others call for immediate conclusions.

Also, compare and contrast the media reaction.

Immediately Tiller's murder an act of domestic terrorism (here, here and here for just a few examples. Warning: liberal sites).

Now however, we must not even consider the idea that Hasan is a Muslim terrorist. Wouldn't want to spread fear and hate.

Just to be clear, jumping to conclusions is not what anyone is advocating. My problem with Obama and his courtiers in the media is that there are certain classes and subject which may not be speculated about but there are clearly some times when it's ok.

The media is most definitely jumping to conclusions, one unconnected to anything we know about Hasan while at the same time ruling out any consideration of a subset of the things for which there is evidence or at least indications.

So, folks can see why I might not be fully in sync with my good friend Dana. (And Repsac3 can hump a stump for all I care.)

Bill Owens Backstabs Constituents of NY-23

Newly-elected Congressman Bill Owens has joined President Obama and Speaker Pelosi in voting for the House healthcare bill with the "public option" provision. This is the ultimate stab-in-the-back to constituents in the district, since Owens campaigned in opposition to the bill. From Michael Patrick Leahy (via Memorandum):

From the start of his campaign on August 10 until an election eve debate on October 30, Owens adamantly opposed the type of public option that is contained in HR 3962, the Pelosi bill the House is voting on later today.

Owens announced qualified support for the “current bill” in an October 30 debate less than 84 hours before the polls opened. His statement of support was lost in the ensuing melodrama when Republican Dede Scozzafava withdrew from the race the next day, and then switched allegiances and endorsed him rather than the Conservative Doug Hoffman.

In his statement today lauding Owens, President Obama unwittingly confirmed what had been reported here earlier today–that the voters of the 23rd Congressional District had been misled throughout the campaign by Bill Owens that he opposed the Pelosi public option Health Care bill, and that, had Mr. Owens’ been honest with the voters throughout the entire campaign he would not have won the special election.

Dishonesty from the Democratic Party. Who would have guessed it?

Erasing Partisan Boundaries?

This is Sean Hannity taking a photo of Keith Olbermann taking a photo of him at the World Series. Olbermann writes, "The guy I'm taking a photo of, who's taking a photo of me - we get along perfectly at the ballpark - less so during our day jobs." You think?

From Olbermann's baseball blog, "America's Biggest Small Town." (The guy should just stick to baseball!)

See also, "Playing Hooky: Olbermann Catches World Series Instead of Hosting Show."

Terrorism or Tragic Shooting? More Deadly Political Correctness on Fort Hood Massacre

From Fox News, "Terrorism or Tragic Shooting? Analysts Divided on Fort Hood Massacre: The Shooting Rampage at Fort Hood That Left 13 dead and 38 wounded This Week Has Sparked a Debate About Whether It Was An Act of Terrorism."

But check Atlas Shrugs, "Video: Wounded Soldier in Islamic Attack on Fort Hood Speaks":

"Note the media use of the word tragedy. It's not a tragedy, it's an act of war. Listen to this soldier shot in the back."

RELATED: From Just One Minute, "Maybe If We Apologized With Greater Deference." (Via Memeorandum.)

WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER. Dissing Troop Families, Obambi Lobbies House on Health Vote; Meanwhile, Former President Bush Visits the Grieving at Fort Hood

CNN reports, "Obama Visits Hill in Push for Health Care Reform." See also, from Fox News's White House blog, "President Obama’s Saturday Schedule."

Meanwhile, also at Fox, "George W. Bush Secretly Visits Fort Hood Victims":

Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura secretly visited Fort Hood last night and spent "considerable time" consoling those who were wounded in Thursday's shooting spree, Fox News has learned.

The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit, a source told Fox News.

The couple was described as "deeply concerned" about military families on Fort Hood after Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire on soldiers and civilians, killing 13 and wounding 38.

The Bushes, who have a 1,600-acre property known as Prairie Chapel Ranch less than 30 miles from Fort Hood in central Texas, spent between one and two hours visiting the wounded and their families.

But note this from Reuters, "Obamas to attend Fort Hood memorial Tuesday." Better late than never, I guess. Or as Pamela suggests, "Obama's posse has announced he will go to Fort Hood next week. Not because he wants to, but because he was shamed into it. Disgusting."

No word yet from the Bush-haters at Firedoglake.

Hat Tip: Carolyn Tackett.

Nidal Malik Hasan's Original Suicide Bomber Posting at Scribd: Suspect Adopted 'Strict' Fundamentalism Upon Mom's Death; Media Whitewash Continues!

Dana Loesch has the links to the Scribd social publishing site with Nidal Malik Hasan's fanatical praise for Islamist suicide bombers:

There was a grenade thrown amongs [sic] a group of American soldiers. One of the soldiers, feeling that it was to late for everyone to flee jumped on the grave with the intention of saving his comrades. Indeed he saved them. He inentionally [sic] took his life (suicide) for a noble cause i.e. saving the lives of his soldier. To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause. Scholars have paralled [sic] this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers. If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory. Their intention is not to die because of some despair. The same can be said for the Kamikazees [sic] in Japan. They died (via crashing their planes into ships) to kill the enemies for the homeland. You can call them crazy i [sic] you want but their act was not one of suicide that is despised by Islam. So the scholars main point is that “IT SEEMS AS THOUGH YOUR INTENTION IS THE MAIN ISSUE” and Allah (SWT) knows best.

There's some question as to whether Nidal Hassan is the actual author, although the views there are buttressed by increasing information on the suspect's Islamist fundamentalism and anti-Americanism. See, the Washington Post, "Fort Hood Suspect Became More Devout After Mother's Death, Cousin Says." And at Jawa Report, "NY Post: Take a Look at Ft. Hood Shooter's Old Mosque." Also, at the Los Angeles Times, "Retracing Steps of Suspected Fort Hood Shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan: As Authorities Try to Find a Motive for the Texas Attacks, Details of a Devout Muslim Begin to Emerge."

Meanwhile, much mainstream press reporting is pinning responsibility for the bloodbath on the U.S. Army. See William Teach, "In Ft. Hood Shootings, Grey Lady Tries On The 'It’s The Army’s Fault' Theory." And Astute Bloggers, "WHAT'S MISSING FROM THIS MSM ARTICLE ON THE FORT HOOD JIHADIST? (THE WORDS ISLAM AND MUSLIM DO NOT APPEAR IN THIS NYTIMES ARTICLE ON THE MURDERER)." And, Jihad Watch,"AP: "Anti-Muslim Backlash Immediate" -- But Offers Not Even One Example."

But testimony from Muslim vets rebukes the press spin. See, Fox News, "Muslim Veterans Group Says No Reports of Harassment of Islamic Soldiers."

RELATED: At Scribd, "Martyrdom in Islam Versus Suicide Bombing." It turns out the site hosts full-blown suicide bomber discussion groups!

Behind the Scenes at the Abortion Compromise

Steve Benen's always good for a partisan laugh, and he doesn't disappoint in his post, "THE EFFECTS OF THE ABORTION 'COMPROMISE'" (via Memeorandum):

As of late yesterday, House Democratic leaders were still short of the 218 votes needed to pass health care reform. Odd as it may seem, after six months of debate, hearings, meetings, and negotiations, the biggest hurdle was the wording on a measure dealing with the fungibility of public funds as it relates to abortion services.

Pro-choice Democrats said the bill already restricted direct public funding of abortion. Democrats who oppose abortion rights said it wasn't enough, and without a prohibition on indirect funding, they would kill the entire health care reform initiative.

I'd say Benen left a couple of things out, like the near-year-long campaign against ObamaCare by grassroots conservatives; and then, of course, there's tanking public support for the Democratic healthcare monstrosity. From Dana Loesch, "Why Rush Through a Bill Nobody Supports?":

But don't miss the comments at the Booman Tribune, a Marxist-Leninist hangout. See, "Price for Health Care, Women Under Bus" (it's like going swimming in sewage channel):

So women are now supposed to carry all the burden of bearing and rearing children, while paying more for insurance and receiving less, getting lower pay, and then eating cat food in retirement because we didn't earn enough money during our "working" years.

*****
What we have here is a literal circle-jerk of sworn celibate cross-dressers dicktating gender-specific medical policy. Sorry, but we dealt with this particular form of stupid nationally in '73. Stupak, et. al. need to drag their sorry asses by their hairy knuckles back to whatever damn cave they've emerged from.

*****

I watched the Stupak gang last night in front of the Rules Committee, and despite the protestations of Hastings and McGovern, you knew this was going to happen. Somehow, the fact that they are under the same restrictions on abortion with their own Federal Health Care Plans is supposed to make them seem like sympathetic characters in this debate; who understand how difficult it is for poor people with regard to the difficult question of abortion. "They can buy supplemental plans just like us if the want to get an abortion", they say. Cut me a freaking break!
Every day, as this thing gets whittled down more and more, I really do have to wonder about its overall worth. The "we have to pass something" group takes greater control of this debate every day.

I know it is not politically feasible to get some things right up front. But if the end result of all this paring and "compromise" is a tremendously marginalized bill that creates a whole new set of problems and roadblocks for the people who truly need health care, how much value, in the end, does it really have?

It is just supremely frustrating that all of the "give back" has to be from one side, the side that is trying to help real people with real needs.

It is just aggravating to watch. The people in Washington just really don't give a shit about the most marginalized people in this debate.

*****

When you aren't bold enough as leaders this is what happens.

Roosevelt was right about fear, and it has been the fear of Democrats which has led us to this crappy bill.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

*****

Boo, You really didn't know that the Catholic Church has pretensions to rule the world and acts everywhere as a shadow political organization. I'm not trying to be funny. This is so! It always has been. Mussolini reinstated the Catholic Church's status as an independent entity in the Vatican after the Italian revolution had compoletely incorporated the Vatican into Italian territory in about 1870. After the war, the U.S. (you know, the separation-religion-and-state empire of god on earth) opted to accept Mussolini's decision and supported the Italian post-war government's continuation of the Vatican as autonomous. Maybe the V.S. even insisted on it. Well, guys, here we are today. This decision against abortion funding is barbaric. Medieval. It chokes me.

Obama's Unemployment Numbers

From Innocent Bystanders, "October Unemployment Rate Jumps Upward ==> 10.2%!":

See also, the Los Angeles Times, "Unemployment Rate Rises to 10.2%." And, the Washington Post, "Why Won't Obama Give You a Job? The White House Thinks the Stimulus is Working, and it Doesn't Want You on its Payroll."

Hat Tip: Glenn Reynolds.

GM's Opel Decision Stokes Anger in Germany

Publisher's Note: It is my pleasure once again to publish a guest essay from a reader, Bill Dawson. A U.S. citizen, Bill has lived in Austria since 2000. He blogs regularly about German History rather than contemporary politics, but he has his finger on the pulse of the German-language media and offers an interesting perspective from across the pond.

**********

A story which involves a U.S. company but is just barely on the news radar in the United States is by far the biggest story in Germany today, November 5, 2009.

The Germans have gone wild with anger after hearing the news that General Motors has decided to keep Opel, a European subsidiary, rather than sell it as previously planned. The original idea was that GM would sell Opel to Canadian firm Magna International and Russia's Sberbank. The Germans -- and by that I mean the government and the gigantic trade union IG Metall -- apparently had much more faith that the Magna/Sberba combo would better protect Germany's Opel jobs. The Detroit News article (linked above) suggests otherwise by indicating that GM's plan to cut 20% of the Opel workforce is similar to what Magna had planned. Honestly, the details of the respective plans do not interest me, so I've not dug deep and tried to compare them.

What does always interest me is the predictable reactions that many Germans have when businesses in the United States affect people (read: "workers") in Germany. Journalists, politicians and labor leaders dust off their cowboy boot cliches and whine about the heartlessness of capitalism.

"Capitalism has apparently learned nothing," asserts angry IG Metall chief Berthold Huber (my emphasis, link is to German content). That statement appears in an interview; neither Huber nor the interviewer thought it necessary to explain what exactly was meant. If GM makes a decision based on its own interests, then this shows that "Capitalism has apparently learned nothing." I guess from Huber's perspective this means that Capitalism has failed to learn that if it does not protect jobs at all costs then... what? I can only assume he means that the lesson of the current worldwide financial crisis is that jobs must be protected at all costs, even if they don't make economic sense to the companies who provide those jobs. And Capitalism has failed to learn that lesson. Right.

"This behavior of General Motors shows the ugly face of Turbo-Capitalism," laments the Minister President (head of the government) of the German state North Rhine Westphalia (German link, my emphasis). He is a member of the Christian Democrats, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, which is traditionally considered center-right and is often accused by the Left of being too pro-business.

"Smoking Colts" (German link) is the title Thomas Wels chose for his very short opinion piece on the website of the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. "The Americans have bargained just like they always do: up to the last minute, and with a Colt on the table." (My emphasis.) The disappointed Wels accuses GM of acting "purely in self-interest".

"Hatred for the Grave-Diggers of Detroit" (German link) is how the Sueddeutsche Zeitung titled their article about the anti-GM demonstrations that occurred today (11/5/2009) in the town of Ruesselsheim. Though the link is to a German article, you might enjoy clicking on it and then scrolling down until you see the slideshow consisting of six photos of the demonstration. Click that first photo and I'll take you through the photos with some translation where necessary. Hopefully they haven't changed up the photos by the time you read this.

1. The yellow shirt simply says, "We are Opel". Note that all labor demonstrations in Germany are dominated by the red flags that always make me think of Leninism.
2. This photo needs no commentary!
3. The sign on the lady's hat reads "Freedom for the slaves of GM."
4. The finger sign reads "Keep your hands off our Opel!" (The German is literally "finger away" rather than "hands off.")
5. I wasn't joking when I mentioned cowboy boots earlier. I think the message here is clear: the cowboy boot of American capitalism is crushing Opel.
6. The sign that is flipping off GM says "Get out!"
7. Uninteresting.
8. The sign on the upper left reads "Don't let Opel die" and on the upper right "Yes we Can -- better without GM."

Now all of you have been thinking throughout this whole article, "Are they nuts? GM is not 'capitalism.' It's socialism!" All German commentators whom I've come across so far are conveniently ignoring this fact. A few have mentioned that the U.S. government under world darling President Barack Obama owns the largest chunk of GM, but, funnily enough, they haven't elaborated on that: it doesn't fit the message.

Ralph Peters: 'Fort Hood's 9/11'

From Ralph Peters' essay today at the New York Post:

On Thursday afternoon, a radicalized Muslim US Army officer shouting "Allahu Akbar!" committed the worst act of terror on American soil since 9/11. And no one wants to call it an act of terror or associate it with Islam.

What cowards we are. Political correctness killed those patriotic Americans at Ft. Hood as surely as the Islamist gunman did. And the media treat it like a case of non-denominational shoplifting.

This was a terrorist act. When an extremist plans and executes a murderous plot against our unarmed soldiers to protest our efforts to counter Islamist fanatics, it’s an act of terror. Period.

When the terrorist posts anti-American hate-speech on the Web; apparently praises suicide bombers and uses his own name; loudly criticizes US policies; argues (as a psychiatrist, no less) with his military patients over the worth of their sacrifices; refuses, in the name of Islam, to be photographed with female colleagues; lists his nationality as "Palestinian" in a Muslim spouse-matching program, and parades around central Texas in a fundamentalist playsuit — well, it only seems fair to call this terrorist an "Islamist terrorist."

But the president won’t. Despite his promise to get to all the facts. Because there’s no such thing as "Islamist terrorism" in ObamaWorld.

And the Army won’t. Because its senior leaders are so sick with political correctness that pandering to America-haters is safer than calling terrorism "terrorism."

And the media won’t. Because they have more interest in the shooter than in our troops — despite their crocodile tears.

Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan planned this terrorist attack and executed it in cold blood. The resulting massacre was the first tragedy. The second was that he wasn’t killed on the spot.

Hasan survived. Now the rest of us will have to foot his massive medical bills. Activist lawyers will get involved, claiming "harassment" drove him temporarily insane. There’ll be no end of trial delays. At best, taxpayer dollars will fund his prison lifestyle for decades to come, since our politically correct Army leadership wouldn’t dare pursue or carry out the death penalty.

Maj. Hasan will be a hero to Islamist terrorists abroad and their sympathizers here. While US Muslim organizations decry his acts publicly, Hasan will be praised privately. And he’ll have the last laugh.

More at the link.

Of course, folks like Blue Texan at Firedoglake have issues with this kind of moral clarity. See, "Right-Wingers: 'Political Correctness' to Blame for Ft. Hood Shootings."