Predicting that Hasan would 'Go Muslim:' Politically correct reason #3,787

LONG BEFORE last week's killings at Fort Hood, there were red flags galore about the suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Sensibly enough, investigators are looking at any contacts Hasan had with Islamic militants. But they should also examine something more prosaic: Hasan's poor performance as a military psychiatrist and his ability to earn promotions in spite of distinctly negative views of his work by military colleagues.

Among the many questions Hasan's case raises, one of the most basic is why the Army considered him fit for his duties. He spent six years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Fellow doctors there, according to National Public Radio and the Washington Post, found him to be inattentive to patients, troubled, and given to haranguing others out of the blue about religion.

In 2007, Hasan gave a strident slide presentation on Islam to Walter Reed's assembled mental health staff, including another Muslim psychiatrist who objected to its tone and content. The address ended with Hasan recommending that the military grant conscientious objector status to Muslim troops "to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events.'' NPR reporter Daniel Zwerdling said one military psychiatrist told him he was not at all surprised to hear that Hasan was the Fort Hood killer.

There may be a lot of reasons for Hasan's jihad but I don't think that evaluating his work performance would have told us anything special. If that were the case, how many millions of employees who get bad job reviews would be under suspicion?

Why seek out bogus "clues" to Hasan's actions? It's not like the guy was hiding his motivations prior to his attack. He told anyone who would listen what he thought of America and the military, and what he thought should happen to them.

This is getting sillier by the day. An unwillingness to face facts is making it almost a certainty that this kind of attack will be repeated sooner rather than later.

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky