Incoming Intelligence Committee Chairman Doesn't Know Shi'ite

There was much controversy when it appeared that Alcee Hastings was going to be named Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Given Hastings past as an impeached federal judge (thanks to bribery charges), many people were not comfortable with the access to information that he was going to have.

Nancy Pelosi decided to go for a compromise pick in hopes of staving off the controversy. Oops:

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.

"If you're the baseball commissioner and you don't know the difference between the Yankees and the Red Sox, you don't know baseball," Stein said. "You're not going to have the respect of the people you work with."

This is comforting...to our enemies. Of course, to most Dems the real enemy is not Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Shi'ites, Sunnis or Kurds. The real enemy is George Bush, Dick Cheney and Halliburton. Everyone else is just a bit player.