CNN streaming: Man who shot at White House to be charged with assassination attempt.

[sinkingfeeling]

http://www.cnn.com/

[spanone]

1. well, when you are obsessed with the President, then fire shots into his residence

you might be guilty of trying to cause him harm, as in assassination.

[Angry Dragon]

2. i think they are really pushing it..............

[Solomon]

5. ?!!!

wtf. Did you lose your sarcasm thingy?

[Angry Dragon]

6. It is my understanding that the shots were fired from a 1/2 mile away

across the passenger seat by the driver through the window
in a moving car...........
not a trained sniper

[jberryhill]

7. Intent is the critical point

If he intended to assassinate the president, and that would be required to be established, then the impracticality of his approach is not as relevant to being charged with an attempt.

"Attempts" generally incur the same liability as the actual crime, as the system doesn't reward failure.

He seems to have made a number of statements to the police without counsel, though, so if he made a knowing waiver of his rights, then it would be hard to dig him out of that hole.

All of this assumes competence to form intent, or to stand trial for that matter, as opposed to being Hinckleyed off to the looney bin.

I'd suggest he blame it on Jodie Foster and be done with it.

[Zywiec]

9. The president wasn't even in the same state.

How could that be an attempt on his life?

[emulatorloo]

10. If I though you were home and blew up your house and turns out you weren't there

would that mean that I didn't try to kill you?

[Zywiec]

12. Blowing up a house and firing a shot at a bulletproof building

from 800 yards is a little different.

But you know that.

[emulatorloo]

13. Sure, firing a gun at a building is a-ok

[treestar]

15. How would you tolerate someone doing that to you?

Keep in mind, you don't have bullet proof glass.

[ecstatic]

14. Are you serious? What if one of his children or a staffer had been

hit? Then what?

[Nye Bevan]

11. Yes. Shooting a fucking BULLET through a WHITE HOUSE LIVING QUARTERS WINDOW

is more like an innocent youthful prank, deserving of no more than a stern warning never to do it again.

[K8-EEE]

3. Expect freakout over "2nd amendment right" from the usual suspects nt

[Lurks Often]

4. Expect emotional and baseless accusations

against law abiding gun owners over acts of a mentally disturbed criminal who was legally barred from owning or possessing a gun.

[jberryhill]

8. But, the key question - was Jodie Foster impressed this time

[treestar]

16. lol!