FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Pentagon report into the massacre at Fort Hood that left 13 dead is a joke. There is no mention of the suspect's views of Islam. None.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/21/art.hasan.jpg caption="Major Nidal Hasan"]
In fact, the 86-page report doesn't even once mention Major Nidal Hasan by name. It lumps in radical Islam with other fundamentalist religious beliefs... and instead focuses on things like military personnel policies and the emergency response to the Nov. shootings.
This despite the fact that Hasan made no secret of his radical Islamic faith. He allegedly proselytized to his fellow service members and spoke out against the wars the U.S. military is waging in Muslim counties.
John Lehman, a member of the 9/11 Commission, tells Time magazine the Pentagon's silence on Islamic extremism "shows you how deeply entrenched the values of political correctness have become." The Texas Congressman whose district includes Fort Hood says this report "ignores the elephant in the room - radical Islamic terrorism is the enemy."
The Pentagon acknowledges it didn't focus so much on Hasan's motives as on "actions and effects." They say they didn't want to interfere with the criminal probe into Hasan. Garbage.
Meanwhile a new Gallup poll shows 43 percent of Americans admit to feeling at least a little prejudice toward Muslims - that's more than twice the number who feel that way about Christians, Jews and Buddhists.
The survey also finds Islam is the most negatively viewed religion - one-third of those surveyed say their opinion of Islam is "not favorable at all."
Here’s my question to you: Why would the Pentagon choose to ignore the Fort Hood shooter's ties to Islam in its report?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Don from Florida writes:
Over the course of my 25 years in the military, I have seen the Pentagon "leadership" become browbeaten into political correctness. The Bush administration ran out the naysayers after 9/11 and only after years of bad war policy made a move to a new Sec. of Defense. Now of course the political correctness of the Obama administration has taken hold and the Pentagon reflects this. We lose Soldiers every day in combat but we are not "at war with terrorists."
Linda from Arizona writes:
It can only be political correctness carried to absurdity, and the cover-up of the Army's failure to stop him when they should have.
Chris from Ontario writes:
The way you phrase your question says it all. Millions of Americans have "ties to Islam"; only a tiny few have ties to radical Islam. Perhaps the Pentagon wished to be cautious because the distinction seems to be lost on so many Americans.
Greg from Minneapolis writes:
Come on, Jack, the reasons are obvious. The slightest perception of insulting Islam is more than enough to bring protesters out in force. We saw it with the Danish cartoonist, we see it with mere rumors of the Qur'an being treated with disrespect. Until we can look at ANY example of "religious" extremism with suspicion and not be afraid of the reaction, be it Islam with the Fort Hood shooter, or Christianity with the likes of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, we will be losing the battle against terrorism fueled by the perversion of religion.
Lizzie from Los Angeles writes:
Because they're scared to offend somebody. Well, they offended plenty of people – the AMERICAN people.
Ken from Virginia writes:
Maybe the Pentagon is under orders NOT to mention, much less criticize, Islam, since our military runs on Middle East oil.