I watched the State of the Union address last night with great interest. Aside from the political theater and incumbent party pep rally aspects which all such events share, I was struck by the number of times the President referred to members of the armed services in glowing terms, citing their selflessness, their dedication, and the sacrifices made both by them and by their families. Indeed, Mr. Obama was a pains to point out and laud SFC Cory Remsburg, a severely wounded Army Ranger sitting in the gallery, who then recieved a well deserved and extended standing ovation. All that was great.
However, as I got to thinking about it this morning, I can't help but wonder why this administration, with all it's "respect" for our brothers in arms, still insists that the Fort Hood shooting by Major Nadal Hasan, self-proclaimed "Soldier of Allah", was an act of "workplace violence" rather than a terrorist attack. By so doing, the government has denied Hasan's victims the status they deserve as soldiers wounded in combat. My question is What will it take for the government, in general, and DoD, in particular, to recognize that what went on at Fort Hood was an act of war?