Obama visiting Walter Reed, where Ft. Hood’s alleged gunman worked

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President Obama plans a stop today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where some of the most wounded casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being treated -- and where the Army psychologist accused of killing 13 and wounding 30 at Ft. Hood, Texas, this week worked for several years before reassignment in Texas.

The visit was planned before Thursday’s shooting -- ‘horrific,’’ the president called the rampage -- according to the White House. Obama’s predecessor, President Bush, who ordered the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, was a frequent visitor at Walter Reed, where he often met privately with the wounded and spoke publicly with reporters afterward.

Obama plans an appearance in the Rose Garden this morning at 11:30 EST, on a day when unemployment was reported to have surpassed 10% for the first time in 26 years.

He will travel to Walter Reed early this afternoon. See the Swamp report.

-- Mark Silva