BULLETIN - AT 10:09 A.M. ET:  Fort Hood shooter attempted to contact Al Qaeda.  From ABC News:

U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News.

It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al Qaeda figures, the officials said.

One senior lawmaker said the CIA had, so far, refused to brief the intelligence committees on what, if any, knowledge they had about Hasan's efforts.

CIA director Leon Panetta and the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, have been asked by Congress "to preserve" all documents and intelligence files that relate to Hasan, according to the lawmaker.

COMMENT:  This is a can of worms.  The attempted cover-ups will fly all over the place.

Obama, obviously, wants the public to believe that this was just one stressed-out guy.  No ideology, folks.  No beliefs.  Nothing to see here, nothing to see.

And if the facts lead elsewhere?  And if someone dropped the ball because of political correctness?

You're about to see Washington at its ugliest.

November 9, 2009