NationStates Jolt Archive

You have to be as dumb as a post to work for the government.

Yeah, we had Bush. But now, it's apparently a job qualification to be rock stupid.

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

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."

Simply amazing.

I want that mans job!

I'm waiting to see if anyone is going to defend Pelosi's astute choice of idiot.

I'm sure if Bush has said anything like this today, there would have been quite a long thread about it...

I'm sure if Bush has said anything like this today, there would have been quite a long thread about it...

the odds are allot of NS'ers have been baffled by the facts themselves :D

the odds are allot of NS'ers have been baffled by the facts themselves :D

I still think it's funny. It is also funny that none of the people who would gladly have castigated Bush for making such a fool of himself (and he has!) are saying a word about this guy.

Don't tell me it's a strawman, because you're all silent up to this point.

If he had say "I don't know" would have been bad enough, but "probably both" just speaks volumes about his lack of knowledge of the deep divisions between the branches of Islam.

I still think it's funny. It is also funny that none of the people who would gladly have castigated Bush for making such a fool of himself (and he has!) are saying a word about this guy.

Don't tell me it's a strawman, because you're all silent up to this point.

The proper answer (from the Clinton days, anyway) is "It's time we moved on."

Right?

If he had say "I don't know" would have been bad enough, but "probably both" just speaks volumes about his lack of knowledge of the deep divisions between the branches of Islam.

I feel so much better that Democrats have won control of Congress. Now they too can be as idiotic as Bush.

I still think it's funny. It is also funny that none of the people who would gladly have castigated Bush for making such a fool of himself (and he has!) are saying a word about this guy.

I honestly don't care about senators myself after all he is a Texan what do you expect?

the odds are allot of NS'ers have been baffled by the facts themselves :D

Yes, but we're not being called for that job; although we'd at least turn to the Wikipedia before posting, though.

I honestly don't care about senators myself after all he is a Texan what do you expect?

Do you suppose he knows he's an idiot? Or do you suppose anyone else up there on the Hill noticed?

If he had say "I don't know" would have been bad enough, but "probably both" just speaks volumes about his lack of knowledge of the deep divisions between the branches of Islam.

I would've thought that an answer of "I don't know" was at least an honest answer.

Do you suppose he knows he's an idiot? Or do you suppose anyone else up there on the Hill noticed?

hill? (don’t hurt me I'm just a poor Englishman:D )

I would've thought that an answer of "I don't know" was at least an honest answer.

Yes, but you'd expect that he had gone at least through the basics by now.

hill? (don’t hurt me I'm just a poor Englishman:D )

Capitol Hill (where they meet to make sausage and laws)

Yes, but you'd expect that he had gone at least through the basics by now.

Yes both are bad but one is an honest ignorant and the other is a lying ignorant ... either way he is ignorant, adding lying makes it worse.

Yes both are bad but one is an honest ignorant and the other is a lying ignorant ... either way he is ignorant, adding lying makes it worse.

You would have thought Nancy Pelosi would have asked him a few questions before offering him up.

Either she didn't ask him any questions (and thus made an honest mistake) or

she asked him and didn't know the answers herself or

she asked him, knew he was stupid, and offered him anyway

Yes, but you'd expect that he had gone at least through the basics by now.

Very True.

Capitol Hill (where they meet to make sausage and laws)

And you don't want to know how they make either.

Yes both are bad but one is an honest ignorant and the other is a lying ignorant ... either way he is ignorant, adding lying makes it worse.

Well, I woudn't call his answers lying... a guess at worst, but not lying.


Unless the first question and answer was

"Did you complete your breifing on Hezbollah and Al Quaeda?"
"Yes I did"

He should've known there was a test at the end. :p

Capitol Hill (where they meet to make sausage and laws)

then I think everyone on the hill thought it was the right answer

Well, I woudn't call his answers lying... a guess at worst, but not lying.


Unless the first question and answer was

"Did you complete your breifing on Hezbollah and Al Quaeda?"
"Yes I did"

He should've known there was a test at the end. :p

You are correct, wrong choice of wording maybe "Dishonest" In one he would have just admitted the other he would have tried to bluff his way through. He was hoping to convince people he knew something he in fact did not know.

then I think everyone on the hill thought it was the right answer

You could be right.

You could be right.

I'd go far as to say most governments, in fact whole nations thought it was the right answer

I'd go far as to say most governments, in fact whole nations thought it was the right answer

I thought you had Question Time in the UK, to at least test if the PM is a complete idiot.

I thought you had Question Time in the UK, to at least test if the PM is a complete idiot.

no we have have I got news for you to do that in an amusing fashion

in fact all British political knowledge stems from this show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmSawdPhzCM

I could probably run the committe five times better than that nitwit, or any Republican who might find himself in that seat as well.

I could probably run the committe five times better than that nitwit, or any Republican who might find himself in that seat as well.

While I'm sure that Republicans are used to hearing that their representatives are nitwits, I'm sure this has the typical Democrat poster on NS General cringing in silence.

no we have have I got news for you to do that in an amusing fashion

in fact all British political knowledge stems from this show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmSawdPhzCM

That and whatever thoughtful insight the topless page 3 girl has for the day.

That and whatever thoughtful insight the topless page 3 girl has for the day.

Hey man, don't diss the Page 3 girls! :D

I could probably run the committe five times better than that nitwit, or any Republican who might find himself in that seat as well.
But could you get yourself elected? Call me naive, but I'm starting to think that our government is run by a bunch of hacks that have absolutely no interest in governing past the point of personal gain.

But could you get yourself elected? Call me naive, but I'm starting to think that our government is run by a bunch of hacks that have absolutely no interest in governing past the point of personal gain.

How in the world is someone supposed to conduct oversight of Intelligence activities when he doesn't know what the fuck is going on in the world?

This Reyes character is about as dumb as it is possible to be, and still be breathing.

I'm sure if Bush has said anything like this today, there would have been quite a long thread about it...

It would?

Wouldn't the whole thing be

poster: bush said something stupid

response: and whats new?

poster: it was really really stupid?

response: still waiting for the new thing.

poster: ok never mind, wanna list the stupidest things he's ever said

response: there are too many

poster: democrats are better than republicans

gop poster: democrats are communists

poster: republicans are facists

outside observer: THEY ARE TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES 2 WINGS OF THE SAME PARTY

and most of the politicians in either of them are not very bright
because for some reason US citizens don't like voting for people who are more intelligent than themselves.

Which suits the oil companies and other big business interests who hire people
who are way smarter than them.

This is an ongoing process which once delivered a president with alzheimers
and now has the no brain boy.



Okay so it might be longish ..

Is this trolling?

But could you get yourself elected? Call me naive, but I'm starting to think that our government is run by a bunch of hacks that have absolutely no interest in governing past the point of personal gain.

starting to think?

I feel so much better that Democrats have won control of Congress. Now they too can be as idiotic as Bush.

off topic but so am I.

people will be reminded why they didnt have power.

anyway, back on topic. this guy has obviously shown he is not qualified for the job. i wouldnt say he is an idiot, he jsut doesnt have any knowledge over what this job calls for him to have some knowledge on. the real idiot here is who even suggested this guy. (to avoid arguements i wont mention a name, i will let those with observation realize who this was)

How in the world is someone supposed to conduct oversight of Intelligence activities when he doesn't know what the fuck is going on in the world?

This Reyes character is about as dumb as it is possible to be, and still be breathing.

The answer is political patronage. That has nothing to do with knowledge or ability. When we have hacks that appoint other hacks, how can we expect to have a competent person run anything? My hope is that he hires decent staff for the committee, then listens to them.

The answer is political patronage. That has nothing to do with knowledge or ability. When we have hacks that appoint other hacks, how can we expect to have a competent person run anything? My hope is that he hires decent staff for the committee, then listens to them.

Wait a second - after years of hearing "Bush is stupid" from the Democrats, one of their first actions when they're running the House is to appoint someone who is obviously an idiot?

One would think that hacks would have more sense - at least enough sense to coach him through some easy questions.

The questions he was asked were real softballs - hey, is al-Qaeda a Sunni or Shiite organization?

It's not like they asked him to pontificate in detail on the possible solutions to the Palestinian problem, and the possible obstacles and outcomes for each one. They asked him a simple question.

And if he's hiring his staff, how will he know who is actually smart? He won't have a fucking clue.

Wow, the American public knows that both Republican and Democratic politicians are idiots..

Maybe there's hope...

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061212/1a_lede12.art.htm

Most predict the administration won't implement the bipartisan commission's proposals, however. And fewer than 1 in 5 have "a great deal" of trust in Bush to "recommend the right thing" for the United States to do in Iraq.

Confidence in Democratic congressional leaders to chart the proper course is even lower, at 14%.

Wait a second - after years of hearing "Bush is stupid" from the Democrats, one of their first actions when they're running the House is to appoint someone who is obviously an idiot?

One would think that hacks would have more sense - at least enough sense to coach him through some easy questions.

The questions he was asked were real softballs - hey, is al-Qaeda a Sunni or Shiite organization?

It's not like they asked him to pontificate in detail on the possible solutions to the Palestinian problem, and the possible obstacles and outcomes for each one. They asked him a simple question.

And if he's hiring his staff, how will he know who is actually smart? He won't have a fucking clue.
This is what I really think. The press is so overjoyed to have a Democratic majority in Congress that they will ignore nearly any indiscretion or incompetent muttering. I'm sure that a large majority of participants in this board share the same fault.

When the electorate repeatedly returns geniuses like Sheila Jackson-Lee, Cynthia McKinney, and so on, to Congress, what can we really expect in return?

This is what I really think. The press is so overjoyed to have a Democratic majority in Congress that they will ignore nearly any indiscretion or incompetent muttering. I'm sure that a large majority of participants in this board share the same fault.

When the electorate repeatedly returns geniuses like Sheila Jackson-Lee, Cynthia McKinney, and so on, to Congress, what can we really expect in return?

Isn't Nazz a Democrat? A vocal critic of Bush?

Opposed to stupidity in public office?

Why the silence on Reyes?

So the guy's an idiot -- a huge idiot. He's a politician, the terms are interchangeable. Maybe the average liberal NSer hasn't responded because your trap was too obvious? I'm not going to defend this moron, and I seriously doubt that you'll find anyone who would. Have fun kids.

So the guy's an idiot -- a huge idiot. He's a politician, the terms are interchangeable. Maybe the average liberal NSer hasn't responded because your trap was too obvious? I'm not going to defend this moron, and I seriously doubt that you'll find anyone who would. Have fun kids.

Your silence is an admirable defense. If you're not calling for Pelosi to dump him, you're supporting him.

Your silence is an admirable defense. If you're not calling for Pelosi to dump him, you're supporting him.

Can I come live in your black and white world? The guy's a dimwit. Anyone else who could get the position is probably also a dimwit. How do you make the leap from one Democrat is an idiot to all Republicans are poiltical geniuses? They're ALL idiots. Were you demanding that Foley be removed from office? If not, you supported him. See, two can play that game.

Can I come live in your black and white world? The guy's a dimwit. Anyone else who could get the position is probably also a dimwit. How do you make the leap from one Democrat is an idiot to all Republicans are poiltical geniuses? They're ALL idiots. Were you demanding that Foley be removed from office? If not, you supported him. See, two can play that game.

I believe part of the Democrat's pandering to us voters was that none of them were stupid, like Bush.

Hey, Bush is stupid.

And how can Pelosi nominate anyone that fucking stupid?

Well...

either she's paying him off with some political power, OR
she's stupid as well, and can't tell the fucking difference, OR
she knows he's stupid, and is having a good laugh nominating him

It's not that the Honorable Representative doesn't know the difference between Sunni and Shia, but that he is just a bad test taker. After all, we all know the some of the top cons against standardized testing:
1: Testing discriminates against minorities
2: Testing applies undue pressure on the test taker
3: Testing is another means for "the MAN" to keep down the masses
4: Unfair wording of test questions unfairly skews the results of the less educated.
5: Testing is a form of profiling, and does not count for the wealth of tribal knowledge gained through experience.

I'm sure if Bush has said anything like this today, there would have been quite a long thread about it...Yeah. Notice how the MSM never reports about it either, only such patriotic outlets such as CNN. :rolleyes:

Isn't it funny how Pelosi is not being defended voiciferously, thus generating no quite long threads, whereas people would defend Bush voiciferously if he had done something similar, thus generating said quite long threads? I wonder why that is...

Yeah. Notice how the MSM never reports about it either, only such patriotic outlets such as CNN. :rolleyes:

Isn't it funny how Pelosi is not being defended voiciferously, thus generating no quite long threads, whereas people would defend Bush voiciferously if he had done something similar, thus generating said quite long threads? I wonder why that is...

Isn't it funny that after years of "Bush is stupid" comments from those who generated those long threads, that now that the Democrats are in power, they've found someone who is arguably more brain dead to oversee intelligence matters?

http://www.blackfive.net/main/images/army_1.jpg

Maybe we need to redo this picture (after the Kerry comment this picture came out).

We can replace the soldier with a picture of Reyes, and the word Army with "House Intelligence Committee Chairman".

Isn't Nazz a Democrat? A vocal critic of Bush?

Opposed to stupidity in public office?

Why the silence on Reyes?Bigger question: Did he appoint Reyes?

And why are you condemning his silence? I'm not sure if he was posting around this time at all, but considering that he's not defending the choice, silence is less than we get from vocal Bush supporters in similar situations.

Isn't it funny that after years of "Bush is stupid" comments from those who generated those long threads, that now that the Democrats are in power, they've found someone who is arguably more brain dead to oversee intelligence matters?Indeed, however unlike the Bush supporters, there's no defense of Pelosi's choice. I know damn well why I didn't celebrate massively when the dems took congress. It'll take more than ousting the GOP to be worthy.