Money for nothin'

We are now in real dire straights since Nancy Pelosi is going to become the speaker of the House of Representatives:

• First she tries to get ally John Murtha to be made the House majority leader, despite questions about his ethics...
  
  
• Next she tries to award the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee to Representative Alcee L. Hastings who was impeached by the Senate and removed as a federal district judge in 1989...
  
  
• Now she's finally succeeded, though, by getting Rep. Silvestre Reyes to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January...
  

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

Stein said Reyes is not the only member of the House Intelligence Committee that he has interviewed that lacked what he considered basic knowledge about terrorist organizations.

Members of the Intelligence Committee, mind you, are paid $165,200 a year to know more than basic facts about our foes in the Middle East.

“Stop giving me tests!” Reyes exclaimed, half kidding.

“I’m not going to talk to you any more!”

Democrats’ New Intelligence Chairman Needs a Crash Course on al Qaeda

Does Ms. Pelosi remind you of anyone?

Nancy Pelosi is a bit of a control freak.She obsesses over the wording of statements from her office. She has a tight circle of confidants and demands utter loyalty. She can be incredibly stubborn.

She may be as stubborn as they all complain that President Bush is, but she is obviously no friend of Israel:

Pelosi picked Reyes over fellow Californian Rep. Jane Harman, an "outspoken supporter of Israel" and currently the top Democrat on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.