The Occasional Observer

Thanks so much for putting our public security in the hands of Democrats. Speaker-elect Pelosi went out of her way to ignore normal protocol, and passed over the ranking member on the Dem side when she hand-picked her new chair of the House Intelligence Committee. And what bright, shining star had grabbed the Speaker's attention, so that she was willing to pass over Rep. Harman? Rep. Silvestre Reyes of TX.

Well, he's sure hit the ground running.

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.

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?"