Pelosi's new Intel Chief don't know jack about Al Qaeda, Hezbollah

[Regis Philbin]

Now, if this guy were part of the Bush Administration all we'd hear is what a dummy he is... :rolleyes:


http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/12/incoming-house-intelligence-chief.html

Monday, December 11, 2006

Incoming House intelligence chief botches easy intel quiz


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, who incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January, failed a quiz of basic questions about al Qaeda and Hezbollah, two of the key terrorist organizations the intelligence community has focused on since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

When asked by CQ National Security Editor Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda is one or the other of the two major branches of Islam -- Sunni or Shiite -- Reyes answered "they are probably both," then ventured "Predominantly -- probably Shiite."

That is wrong. Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organization and views Shiites as heretics.

Reyes could also not answer questions put by Stein about Hezbollah, a Shiite group on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations that is based in Southern Lebanon.

Stein's column about Reyes' answers was published on CQ's Web site Friday evening.

In an interview with CNN, Stein said he was "amazed" by Reyes' lack of what he considers basic information about two of the major terrorists organizations.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

Now, if this guy were part of the Bush Administration all we'd hear is what a dummy he is... :rolleyes:




Okay.

From the same article:

If President Bush and some of his closest associates, not to mention top counterterrorism officials, have demonstrated their own ignorance about who the players are in the Middle East, why should we expect the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee to get it right?

Trent Lott, the veteran Republican senator from Mississippi, said only last September that “It’s hard for Americans, all of us, including me, to understand what’s wrong with these people.”

“Why do they kill people of other religions because of religion?” wondered Lott, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, after a meeting with Bush.

“Why do they hate the Israelis and despise their right to exist? Why do they hate each other? Why do Sunnis kill Shiites? How do they tell the difference?

“They all look the same to me,” Lott said.


http://public.cq.com/public/20061211_homeland.html

[db44]

Hezbollah? That's like continuing to say Iraq is a threat to the U.S... But then, some people still cling to that thought as it's the only thing that makes our involvement there sound reasonable.

To our allies and overseas interests, maybe. But we don't even respect our own boundaries, so it's kind of moot.