Did Major Hasan Attempt to Contact Al Qaeda???

New Questions has arisen now that the Army and Feds knew that Major Nidal Hasan had tried to contact Al Qaeda ABC news has learned.

US intelligence agencies including the CIA have been monitoring Major Nidal  for months  discovered he was trying Al Qaeda by “electronic means” brief ABC news anonymously on classified material.

Brian Ross of ABC News says the Army was aware but what was done about it is not certain.

Republican  Representative Pete  Hoekstra of Michigan the top ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee is asking the CIA and other agencies of   what was known and what is being done. The CIA rebuffed  Hoeksta.

Rep. Hoekstra issued what a called a document preservation request to CIA head Leon Panetta. The letter dated on November 7th went to the following agency heads Dennis Blair(DNI),  Robert Mueller(FBI); Lt. Gen Keith Alexander (NSA) and Leon Panetta (CIA).

Hoekstra is “absolutely furious” that the requests were denied to the intelligence committee.

“This is a law enforcement investigation, in which other agencies—not the CIA—have the lead,” CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said in a response to ABC News. ” Any suggestion that the CIA refused to brief Congress is incorrect.”

Investigators want find out if Hasan  was in touch with radical Muslim Cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who was the head of a mosque in Falls Church,VA in Suburban Washington,D.C. Al Awlaki is now in Yemen.

Ironically, Cleric al Awlaki posted on his blog:

“Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing,” Awlaki calls Hasan a “hero” and a “man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.”

The AP learned the Hasan attended the same mosque in Falls Church that Al Awlaki preached at about  time of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The London Telegraph  revealed that Al Awlaki  had made contact with two of the 9/11 hijackers when he was based in San Diego. Al Awlaki denied knowing the hijackers and he was never charged. Soon Afterward Al Awlaki left for Yemen.

On Sunday, Senator Joseph  Lieberman(I-CT) wonders out loud if Hasan is a Radical Muslim extremist and calls for an investigation to find out if the Army missed clue into Hasan’s mindset.

“If Hasan was showing signs, saying to people that he had become an Islamist extremist, the U.S. Army has to have a zero tolerance,” Lieberman told Fox News Sunday.

ABC News

Meet Sargent Kimberly Munley, Our American Wonder Woman

Sargent Kimberly Munley a civilian police  officer with Fort Hood Police shot down Major Nidal Hasan during the shooting spree at Fort Hood on Thursday. Sgt. Munley shot Hasan four times while he struck her in the shoulder and wrists.

US Army officials say it was Munley actions that stopped Hasan from reloading his gun. Munley was the first police officer who arrived on the scene at the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center.

Colonel John Rossi spokesperson for the Army told reporters at a briefing on Friday at Ft Hood said the victims  killed processing center system were unharmed.”Her efforts were superb,” he said.

Ft. Hood commander Lt. Col. Robert Cone praised Officer Munley.

“She happened to encounter the gunman. In an exchange of gunfire, she was wounded but managed to wound him four times,” he said.

“It was an amazing and aggressive performance by this police officer.”

Colonel Steven Braverman commander of FT. Hood’s Darnall Army Community Hospital says Sgt. Munley is at local community hospital and recovering and she is in stable condition.

Meanwhile Major Hasan has been transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Hasan in a coma  at this time.

Times of London

Israel to Make Concessions on Settlements says Clinton.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Israel is willing to make concessions involving the building settlements in areas of the West Bank.

Clinton announcement comes as the Palestinians are demanding that Israel gives up building settlement in the West Bank, Gaza and other disputed lands that Palestinian claim as their own.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

What the prime minister has offered in specifics on restraints on a policy of settlements … is unprecedented,” she said.

The settlements has been the sticking point between The Palestinians and Israelis.

“There are always demands made in any negotiation that are not going to be fully realized,” she said.

Previous engagements by Secretary Clinton was more demanding to Israel. Demanding a complete halt to settlement construction. Israel was not willing to capitulate to Palestinian demands.

While Israel has made this concessions. This did not move the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas want the complete withdraw of Israel out of the region with removal of Israelis settlements.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh, responding to Clinton’s comments, said, “There can be no excuse for the continuation of settlements, which is really the main obstacle in the way of any credible peace process.

“Israel is not interested in stopping its settlement activities and the American administration didn’t succeed in convincing the Israeli government to stop these activities,” he said. “There should be a real change in the Israeli position toward this issue in order for the peace process to be restarted.”

At the press conference with Clinton, Netanyahu said Israel is “willing to engage in peace talks immediately without preconditions. Unfortunately the other side is not.”

AP via Yahoo News

Eight US Troops in Afghanistan killed by Bombing

Eight US troop members were killed on Tuesday in a series of bombing attacks in southern Afghanistan and one Afghan civilian. They were with NATO forces when they were attacked.

The NATO led International Security Assistance Forces said other troops members were wounded by “multiple complex (bomb) attacks.” No additional information was given.

These attacks comes after 14 were killed on Monday in two separate attacks in Afghanistan.

Reuters

14 Dead in Two Seperate Events in Afghanistan

Fourteen people are dead in separate incidents in Afghanistan on Monday.   A military helicopter has crashed returning from a firefight against Taliban drug traffickers. Killing 10 Americans including 3 Drug Enforcement Agents. The  crashed in the western province of Badghis .

The second event was when two US Marine helicopters a UH-1 and a AH-1 collided in southern province of  Helmand killing 4 on board  and wounding two others Marine spokesman Major Bill Pelletier.

This is the first deaths of DEA since their operations in Afghanistan in 2005. Afghanistan is the world largest producer of opium the key ingredient on Heroin. The fed recently is going after distribution networks instead of going after destroying poppy fields which caused the farmer to oppose American activities.

President Obama mourned the heroes lost. He stood firm is decision to take his time in make the right moves for Afghanistan.

I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way. I won’t risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,” Obama said during a visit to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, in Florida.

AP via My Way News.

Cheney Says White House is Dithering on Afgahanistan

Former Vice President Dick Cheney called out the Obama administration Wednesday  and said President Obama is dithering on General Stanley McChrystal request of sending 40,000 troops  to Afghanistan.

Cheney called on the White House to do what it takes to win.”

“Make no mistake. Signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries,” Cheney said while accepting an award from a conservative national security group, the Center for Security Policy.

The former Vice President disputed the White House claim by Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel that the Bush Administration left was not paying attention to Afghanistan all the while focusing on Iraq and it was the Obama Administration had to create it own policy on Afghanistan .

Chaney says that the Bush White House provided the Obama Administration information on Afghanistan by review its polices and procedures and presented them to the Administration.

“They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed, giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt,” Cheney said. The strategy Obama announced in March bore a “striking resemblance” to what the Bush administration review had found, the vice president said.

Last Sunday Chief of Staff Emmanuel criticized the Bush Adminstration on it Administration Policy on CBS’s “Face the Nation”. He was also on CNN where he was on State of the Nation program.

“When you go through all the analysis, it’s clear that basically we had a war for eight years that was going on, that’s adrift, that we’re beginning at scratch, and just from the starting point, after eight years,” Emanuel said.

Cheney said the Obama Administration is playing the blame game.

“The White House must stop dithering while America’s armed forces are in danger,” the former vice president said. “It’s time for President Obama to do what it takes to win a war he has repeatedly and rightly called a war of necessity.”

Well today the White House fired back

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

“What Vice President Cheney calls dithering, President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform,” Gibbs said Thursday. “I think we’ve all seen what happens when somebody doesn’t take that responsibility seriously.”

Gibb called the Cheney remarks “curious” and proceed to criticized the Bush Administration taking years to provide for the troops.

“I think it’s pretty safe to say that the vice president was for seven years not focused on Afghanistan,” Gibbs said. “Even more curious given the fact that an increase in troops sat on desks in this White House, including the vice president’s, for more than eight months.”

Cheney remarks came as a keynote speaker the Center For Security Policy  Annual dinner. When word of Cheney remarks the West Wing was fired up.

CBS News

Politico

Four American Soldiers die in Afghanistan Attack

Four US solider were killed Thursday when they attacked in a bombing in southern Afghanistan, The Pentagon said today in a statement. Two soldiers were killed instantly, the other two died  as a result of their wounds. This bring the number killed to 25 for the month of October according to the AP.

Meanwhile in Afghanistan, Four Afghans including two civilians were killed in a fire fight between militant and NATO location  Ghanzi Province. The civilians were related to each other.

AP via My Way News

Putin Throws down the Gauntlet No Sanctions on Iran

So Much for President Obama bringing the world together against Iran. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was rebuffed  by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday to place sanctions against Iran. The US wanted sanctions against Iran because the recent revelations of a second nuclear plant in the western Iranian town of Qom.

“There is no need to frighten the Iranians,” Putin talked with reporters in Beijing at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

“We need to look for a compromise. If a compromise is not found, and the discussions end in a fiasco, then we will see.”

“And if now, before making any steps (towards holding talks) we start announcing some sanctions, then we won’t be creating favourable conditions for them (talks) to end positively. This is why it is premature to talk about this now.”

Secretary Clinton did not receive any from Russia on Iran nuclear ambitions. This come after the US gave up its missile defense system for eastern Europe in Late September.

Next week the US along Russia, France and the International Atomic Energy Agency will meet in Geneva Switzerland to discuss Iran ability to process uranium for electric power

Reuters India has the rest of the story.

This Just In: North Korea Launches Five Rockets

Breaking News: North Korea defying the UN, and US by launching five short range missiles. The Communist nation set off the weapons to use as leverage against the US  in upcoming talks.

North Korea has “reached out the  US” following tensions between two nations. In talks with the People’s Republic of China, Kim Jung Il told the Chinese leader Wen Jiabao that they were ready to return to six-party talks. These negotiation  is predicated on the direct talks with US.

The missiles was the first since North Korea launched seven missiles in July

Reaction from the White House came via Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Clinton was in Belfast, Northern Ireland  said the US will go on to talk with North Korea.

“Our goal remains the same,” she told reporters after a meeting with Northern Irish business leaders. “Our consultations with our partners and our allies continues unabated. It is unaffected by the behavior of North Korea.”

Breitbart News

Sen. Feinstein: Why President Obama Dithering on McChrystal Recommedations

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Ca) Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee  smashed President Obama on moving General Stanley McChrystal request of 40,000 troop member increase in Afghanistan. This during an interview on ABC News “This Week ” host my George  Stephanopoulos on Sunday.

“I don’t know how you put somebody in, who is as ‘cracker jack’ as General McChrystal who gives the president very solid recommendations and not take those recommendations if you are not going to pull out,” Feinstein told me on ’This Week.’ “If you do not want to take the recommendations then you put your people in such  jeopardy.”

Senator Saxby Chambliss(R-Ga)  who is Republican minority leader on the Committee said, “I don’t think there’s any question on whether he’s going to have to. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

It’s a very fractious government over there…and not much stability,” Chambliss said. “To slow down the Taliban, that means to prevailing militarily and obviously that’s where the additional resources in the form of troops comes in. That’s where McChrystal has recommended and I think the President has got to follow his commanders on the ground.”