Barack Obama, Nidal Hasan connected?

Breaking News! Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood gunman participated in an advisory committee to the Obama administration?  Well, yes and no.  But how does this relate to Barack Obama’s call for delay in congressional hearings on the shooting?

Nidal Hasan, Ft. Hood gunman, apparently was on a homeland security panel which advised the Obama Administration on policy during the transition period between its and the Bush administration.   It is not yet clear yet what series of events transpired to allow a man under FBI investigation with a history of  “psychotic” activity (as described by fellow workers at Walter Reed Medical Center) to sit on a committee advising a future President of the United States on Homeland Security policy.

Nidal Hasan participated in the task force in which was not officially connected to the White House.  The Homeland Security Institute which sponsored the committee confirmed Hasan’s attendance, but downplayed his role.

Nidal Hasan’s actions are causing a furor in Congress because of the seemingly clear warning signs in his personal and professional record.  Barack Obama on Friday urged Congress to refrain from beginning investigations into the shootings committed by Hasan at Ft. Hood prior this is revelation.  Obama asked Congress to “resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into the political theater. . . .  The stakes are too high.”

This stream of revelations about Hasan put the case alarmingly close to Congress and the White House.  The heroic work the Army did to build morale after the tragic shootings will quickly fade as this story will be exploding at the beginning of the week.   Warning signs about his personal behavior and website postings having been known by peers and FBI investigators is troubling enough for the grieving families and fellow servicemen after the tragic deaths in Texas.  The fact that he was in a position–however remote–to influence administration policy and participate in discussions on national security issues is astounding.

But what is quickly coming to light is that Barack Obama, his Administration and many Congressmen and staff members knew of this incident.   Gawker.com notes that:<!–more–>

Other participants included Senate and House staffers, Department of Homeland Security officials, Defense Department officials, and reporters for Politico, the Washington Post, and the London Times.

Could this be why Obama urged Congress to hold off on hearings?  There is a strong likelihood that Barack Obama knew of this connection between Hasan and the Homeland Security Institute when he was making that request.  That only stresses the need to get hearings moving forward as quickly as possible.

Joe Lieberman needs to work with Susan Collins on the Homeland Security Committee in the Senate on an aggressive schedule of hearings.  With this information in hand, they must deepen the investigation swiftly before more critical information could be buried to avoid political embarrassment on the part either side of the aisle in Congress or from the White House.