We need accountability, answers from Hasan

Here's hoping Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has a full recovery.

Perhaps then the accused Fort Hood shooter can explain why he opened fire on fellow service members last week, killing 13 — including 19-year-old Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka of West Jordan — and wounding 29. Perhaps then the rest of us can separate facts from fiction.

Mostly, I want him to be held to account for what he has done. We need to know if the Army psychiatrist is mentally ill or if he was driven to the crime by some twisted ideology.

At this point, no one knows what motivated Hasan. The Associated Press has reported that Hasan's mother's funeral was conducted in the same Falls Church, Va., mosque where two of the 9/11 hijackers worshiped and the radical American imam Anwar al Awlaki preached.

On Monday, Awlaki's Web site carried a blog posting titled, "Nidal Hassan Did The Right Thing." Awlaki went on praise Hasan as a "hero."

"He is 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," Awlaki wrote.

Isn't it interesting that as family members claim that Hasan encountered discrimination in the Army because of his Islamic beliefs, Awlaki is fanning the flames of intolerance by declaring Hasan a hero?

But Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. has cautioned against speculation about these events, out of concern it could heighten backlash against Muslim soldiers.

"What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here. And it's not just about Muslims. We have a very diverse Army. We have a very diverse society. And that gives us all strength. So again, we need to be very careful with that," Casey told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.

Casey is right. We must not jump to conclusions. It's not beyond the pale that Hasan's actions were an act of political terror. But it is also possible that he just snapped under the stress of going to the Middle East. There is also the possibility that he has a long history of poorly treated mental illness.

That's why the Army will investigate. So will Congress and perhaps even some civilian authorities. Then we'll have a proper context from which to address these events.