Two points worth considering:
1) (File under "Conspiracy," for now): For those who feel the coverage doesn't all add up... and some of the story is actually pretty peculiar, for example the "red and yellow flags" mentioned above:
1a. If I am setting up a sting and I have a slightly unhinged low level neighborhood dealer on the line, do I storm in and make the bust, or do I observe him and wait to follow a trail to a bigger fish, or wait until he
is a bigger fish? What if that's what the FBI wanted to do? It would certainly explain ignoring what warning signs they saw regarding his unbalanced behavior, and even recommending that his promotion go through.
1b. Given the intent, and given the resulting actions, IF this is the case, is it a tactic that should be reconsidered?
2) (File under parallelism): I've logged my opinion that he shows far more signs of being a nut than being the spearhead of an Islamist fifth column in America

... but you'll note none of us are in support of such a fifth column forming. I simply believe he is more motivated by personal "grievances" than by Islam or outside ties.
Recently, however, our local rightists celebrated the "Oathkeepers" who essentially say they will kill who they want in the interests of whatever they believe that day -- not on the orders that come down the military chain of command, ultimately from the C in C -- when they so desire.
Essentially, to the extent ideology plays a part, this is simply what the Oathkeepers claim the right to do.
PFnV