Three Ways the Fort Hood Shooting Previewed Benghazi

By David French


As the trial of Nidal Hasan grinds on, it’s worth remembering that the federal government’s actions at Fort Hood offered a grim preview of its actions in Benghazi.

First, the government was incompetent. Forget NSA surveillance, in the case of Hasan (I refuse to call him “major”), one had only to read his business card or understand PowerPoint presentations to know something was seriously amiss. Or, if you prefer the high-tech solution, intelligence agencies intercepted his communications with notorious (and now-deceased) al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Yet no serious action was taken. As for Benghazi, the warnings didn’t even require reading comprehension: The diplomatic compound was bombed twice before the fatal September 11 attack. The security atmosphere was so bad that other nations were moving diplomats out of the city. Our response? We decreasedsecurity.

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