The “political unit” at CNN is distressed.

Obama doesn't say "terror"

They write,

President Barack Obama said he ordered the "full resources" of the federal government to respond to the Boston bombings on Monday, and that he also called for increased security around the United States as necessary.

"We still do not know who did this or why," he said from the Brady Press Briefing Room, cautioning people against jumping to conclusions. "But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we'll find out why they did this."

Any individuals or groups responsible for the "senseless" bombing, he added, will "feel the full weight of justice."

"The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight," he said.

Notably absent from his remarks was the word "terror," though federal investigators are classifying the bombings as a terror event. It is not clear if it's from a domestic or foreign source, a federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation said.

“Terrorist attack” does not mean “big, loud, public attack.”

Consider this.

FBI on "terrorism"

For all anybody knew for sure yesterday somebody could have targeted one of the runners for personal reasons and just wanted it to look like a terrorist attack, to throw people off.

On the other hand, today investigation seems to be focusing on a young Saudi.

Reportedly, Republican congressman Pete King said the attack “had all the marks of al-Qaeda” and Chuck Hagel called it a “despicable act of terror.”

They might know more than we know.

But they might not.

As for that Saudi kid, so far it doesn’t look like anything but cops scrambling off in all directions, with no real leads or notion what happened.

Drudge, of course, is having a lot of fun with all this.

He loves that Saudi thing.

Reportedly, marathoners on a plane at Logan, headed for Chicago, complained about two Saudi men speaking Arabic.

They - the Saudis - were taken off the plane.

Not sure I trust anecdotal reports of ball bearings or other stuff used as shrapnel in the bombs.

Jed Lewison at KOS says the president briefed some reporters on the matter today, but I can’t find a video on any news site.

Jed attributes to the pres. a little of his own snark.

Obama also pointed out that anytime a bomb is used to attack citizens in a public arena, it is an act of terror, which apparently some folks yesterday (all on the right, of course) were confused about.

If he “pointed out” any such thing he was mistaken.

Though I suppose he might have said it, all the same.

[Update, later that same day.

Obama did say that.

It's false, and he went on to say it was still not known whether the perpetrator or perpetrators were a foreign or domestic terrorist group or instead merely a malevolent individual.

So there you have it.

All the same, it still doesn't look like al-Qaeda, to me.

Not their style, at all.]

But I have no doubt if there isn’t any video it’s because he didn’t want there to be any video of him saying that word.

More reports of ball bearings and other bits being taken out of bombing victims at Boston hospitals.

[Update.

We now have reports the bombs were inside pressure cookers loaded with ball bearings and other stuff to function as shrapnel.]

[Update, 0417, 0604 hrs EDT.

Think of the mass murderers who shoot up theaters and schools.

Who says someone with the same mentality couldn't put together explosives, ball bearings, and pressure cookers to make some big booms and do as much damage as possible?

Not terrorism; just mass murder.

And who says he won't do it again?]