I've been celebrating the democrat party's victory in 2006. Thank heavens that the ignorant fundamentalists are now in the minority, and sane, educated, thoughtful democrats will now be leading the policy-making process in congress! Then reality smacks me upside the head...
WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Is al Qaeda a Sunni organization, or Shi'ite?
The question proved nettlesome for Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, incoming Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
"Predominantly -- probably Shi'ite," he said in a recent interview with Congressional Quarterly, a periodical that covers political and legislative issues in Congress.
Unfortunately for Reyes, the al Qaeda network led by Osama bin Laden is comprehensively Sunni and subscribes to a form of Sunni Islam known for not tolerating theological deviation.
In fact, U.S. officials blame al Qaeda's former leader in Iraq, the late Abu Musab al Zarqawi, for the surge in sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites.
But Reyes' problems in the interview didn't end with al Qaeda.
Asked to describe the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Congressional Quarterly said Reyes responded: "Hezbollah. Uh, Hezbollah," and then said, "Why do you ask me these questions at five o'clock?"
From the above, would you guess that Reyes has been on the intelligence committee since 2001? Did he miss a few meetings? Is there something we don't know about Texas water? Was he assigned to the committee in order to try and get some?
Whatever the case, any assumptions I might have made about assuming competency in the democrat congressional leadership have been officially scrapped. Every one of these men and women committe chairs need to be carefully scrutinized, to determine whether or not they are qualified for their jobs. If they have to go down to the most junior democrat member of the House to find someone who could answer the above questions and make sane judgments about intelligence, then that's what they need to do.
I love democracy and the political process, but something tells me that politicians ought to pass something like a GMAT before they are certified to run for federal office. People like Reyes make me break into a cold sweat...he needs to return to the border patrol.
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Maybe it will work out okay. Remember when George W. was a candidate, he was asked to name four world leaders, and he couldn't do it, and he worked out just...
Never mind.
I like the idea of a test. How about a simulation scenario that the candidates have to run through in real time with a couple of hand picked advisers. Their score on this wouldn't be a qualification for the presidency - but they would have to make their scores public.
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