Ignorance on the Intelligence Committee.
By on Oct 18th, 2006 at 11:15 am
Ignorance on the Intelligence Committee.
Rep. Terry Everett (R-AL), asked if he knows the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims: “Mr. Everett responded with a low chuckle. He thought for a moment: ‘One’s in one location, another’s in another location. No, to be honest with you, I don’t know. I thought it was differences in their religion, different families or something.’” Everett is the vice chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
UPDATE: CQ’s Jeff Stein has more in the New York Times.
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I bet he can track every dime he’s received and/or donated off the top of his head.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:17 amRep. Terry Everett (R-AL): “I thought it was a degree of darkiness, you know like Sudan and Ethopia. They are darkies and they don’t like the other ones shade. Is that right?”
October 18th, 2006 at 11:20 amSigns of a rubber-stamper… knows nothing and spends all his time asking for campaign money from lobbyist.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:21 amEverett: “No, to be honest with you, I don’t know.” – - Stop the presses! A member of Congress tells the truth despite looking foolish!
October 18th, 2006 at 11:21 amI would bet he could get a link to anyone willing to accept or pay a bribe for congressional favors.
Republicans are crooks, it’s what they do!
October 18th, 2006 at 11:21 amI guess that, like W, he doesn’t read the newspapers.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:23 amYeah uhm… which are the “good guys” and which are the “bad guys”…? which ones are working for the Eye of Mordor again? I know we can keep this Lord Of the Rings analogy going further..
October 18th, 2006 at 11:23 amThis guy is a representation of his localities (and America in general’s) best and brightest…
…someone who may, very soon, cast a vote as to whether or not the U.S. should commit lives and resources to Iran or N. Korea…
…God help humanity…
October 18th, 2006 at 11:27 amYou know… I’m not sure I know the difference either. However, it’s not my job to know that. I would hope that the people we rely on to monitor intelligence situations in the world would take the time to familiarize themselves with the players.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:27 amIsn’t one of the first rules of combat to “know thine enemy”?
If you scroll just above the linked article, Digby talks about the death of Habeus…..
found it sorta amusing since TP has barely made mention of it.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:28 amWhat an oxymoron, ‘Intelligence’.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:29 amHow do you tell them apart?…
Look them in the eye to see the soul.
That’s what W does, so it must work.
Again, have you noticed that when people like Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Rice and other members of Congress are asked a question regarding a report, a book, or a bill that has been passed, they all say that they have not read it yet (either completely or not at all) and yet they are out there talking and trying to act like they know what they are talking about.
Nobody in Washington reads anything completely. Not surprising, is it?
October 18th, 2006 at 11:30 amIt has become crushingly clear that “heckofa job Brownies” have been planted by this administration across the board in leading postitions of power. EPA, Home Land “Security” etc etc etc …on down the line. The only qualifications these people needed was blind loyalty to the furor. It’s obvious. All the agencies for the common good in this government are headed by people that have no agenda other than to starve and destroy these agencies. Shrink the government……as far as the common good…….expand it for the elite few.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:30 amTypical don’t give a shit, clueless and incompetent Bush rubber stamp Republican “politician”. Morons! Bush has morons on his team! Another unqualified asshole with the intellectual honesty and moral integrity of a swamp alligator. Everett is exactly the kind of idiot we can’t trust to influence the decisions that protect America from our enemies. He learns only enough to get by and fakes everything else. God save us from the incompetence and irresponsibility of ignorant Bush Republicans! May they lie under oath during public hearings/investigations before a Democratic House/Senate majority.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:31 amThe ignorance of our lawmakers is astounding. How can we expect these Bozos to govern and make international policy when they don’t know anything? We need statesmen and stateswomen who know how to make laws and govern not these money laundering hacks who only know how to raise funds. Time for real campaign financing reform.
Had enough, vote democratic!
October 18th, 2006 at 11:32 amAgain the question is who elected this ignorant bozo ?? Life in the American biosphere is just great isnt it as long as ignorance is bliss…
October 18th, 2006 at 11:34 amTerry Everett is not a contestant on Jeopardy!
October 18th, 2006 at 11:35 amSo, is Everett more “vice” than “chair” of the House Intelligence Committee?
October 18th, 2006 at 11:40 amWe’re in good hands now. No need to worry. Everything’s going just as planned. Oh, by the way, have you decided what you’ll do when our government collapses and your money’s worth nothing?
October 18th, 2006 at 11:44 amAnd these are the people who voted for the war, based on faulty intelligence that they probably never read anyway. I keep thinking of John Conyers on TDS saying “We don’t read every bill, son.”
October 18th, 2006 at 11:46 amThe moron is on the intelligence committee and he hasn’t done any homework. But, like many stated earlier, I bet he can tell you where his campaign donors came from, what they gave and how much more he can add to his personal wealth while he is on the taxpayers’ dime.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:53 am#9, Art is an honest man.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:55 amActually knowing things about the world and how it works isn’t a requirement to be a Republican. Come to think of it, it is a liability, a disqualifier.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:56 amyet another in a long line of unqualified public officials…
October 18th, 2006 at 11:56 am“I was too distracted by the Lewinsky scandal on the day we were briefed on that…”
October 18th, 2006 at 11:57 amHouse “INTELLIGENCE” committee… enough said there…
Should a section of government, be a lie by definition (never mind action/inaction) alone?
What a farce
October 18th, 2006 at 11:59 amWhen I first heard the US was considering an Iraq invasion I google’d Iraq’s history and it’s people – just out of interest.
What we have here is ‘The Lack Of Intellegence Committee’
Sad, so very sad.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:04 pmSunni and Shiite:
October 18th, 2006 at 12:10 pmThe differences between these two main sub-groups within Islam initially stemmed not from spiritual differences, but political ones.
The division between Shia and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the Prophet’s companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad’s close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation.
The word “Sunni” in Arabic comes from a word meaning “one who follows the traditions of the Prophet.”
Some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet’s own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself.
The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad’s death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word “Shia” in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people.
From this initial question of political leadership, some aspects of spiritual life have been affected and now differ between the two groups of Muslims.
Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves.
My biggest fear of Bush being elected… mediocrity would become fashionable, and ignorance would be rewarded.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:10 pmIn order to hold national office as a republican, one should have to pass the standardized tests that they require under “no child left behind”. Apparently, these guys are ignorant of what they vote.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:16 pmCan’t they hand out little cards with pertanent info on them, jeez, like some fundamental info on Iraq’s people? I guess that would put a face on the population, and our Congressman here does not want to bother himself with that.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:18 pm#32, Fortruth
October 18th, 2006 at 12:32 pmCertainly little flash cards and index cards with info would be advisable in the case of the poor students in Congress. Perhaps they could play games with them and have quizes and spell-downs. Creativity is key in educting the incorrigible like Everett.
It’s amazing that these dummies get elected and then appointed to committees where they are so unsuited.
Now, I thought I explained this to y’all already.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:34 pmThem Sunnis are sun worshippers, and the Shiites, they worship bedsheets.
Geez, this decider stuff is easy, once you get to be a dictator!
Marie
Thanks for the information.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:51 pmI suppose the current neoconservatives in the U.S. are “Shia Christians” as they believe they rule by divine right, Nixon-legacy, and are infallible.
What a shock, an ignorant Republican! What’s next, a flamboyant homosexual?
October 18th, 2006 at 12:56 pmtypical.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:57 pmMost Republicans in DC are ignorant, so no wonder Iraq is a cesspool of violence, caused by ignorant Bush and the GOP fools in the Congress!
October 18th, 2006 at 12:58 pmWoodwards next book should be titled “Congress: A State of Cluelessness”. It seems nobody in Congress knows anything about anything, but they sure know how to pass legislation without any input from voters.
October 18th, 2006 at 1:12 pmPLC
October 18th, 2006 at 1:30 pmThat’s the comparison that I was thinking also.
While this is certainly appalling, it comes as no big surprise. Americans as a rule are extremely ignorant of the other people in the world and the cultural differences between different groups of the same people. It is so much simpler to lump everyone who isn’t a white anglo into the category of “those people” ala Trent Lott. This is one of the main reasons that Americans are generally perceived as arrogant by a lot of people in other countries. Most Americans make no effort to learn enough of a foreign language to order food or say thank you or just simple basic vocabulary. It is their belief that since they are Americans then the rest of the world should be able to speak to them in English. Having once travelled extensivley in Europe and SE Asia working for an American company I have seen more than enough of this attitude to make me dislike Americans when they travel abroad. I would hope that the highly paid members of congress would be above this, but obviously they are not. Even though this article concerns a Republican, I doubt very much that more than a few (if any) Democrats in congress would be able to tell you the difference either. Again, American ignorance is not affiliated to any particualr party but to the country as a whole.
October 18th, 2006 at 1:33 pm“While this is certainly appalling, it comes as no big surprise. Americans as a rule are extremely ignorant of the other people in the world and the cultural differences…”
Sparhawk, I strongly disagree. If you were to ask any Democrat on international intelligence comissions, I would bet you $1,000 they would know the difference. They would know the history of the people involved, at least on a basic level. Bill Clinton and his adminstration would have known the difference. It comes from the top down. It is a “culture” that the top person establishes, as a leader. Bill Clinton reads. John Kerry reads. They value history and the complexities of international relations. I truly believe that democrats, as a rule, follow this philosophy. “Faith-based” people don’t need to read, because they already know the “truth.” The culture that Bush has established in the White House runs all the way through his staff, it seems. So sad.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:36 pmYou don’t have to know anything when you are following God’s appointed leader on earth, now do you? What do you have to know? How to vote “yea” on everything the GOP puts up for a vote, that’s all.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:10 pmOh! He thinks it’s funny!
God, what a sicko!
October 18th, 2006 at 3:11 pmLet’s not forget that they’ve all had five years to get clued in on the basics of Middle Eastern history and culture.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:26 pmMy exposure to other cultures has been limited to Canada, Mexico, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland (A blend of Italy, Germany and France), Finland, Ireland, Great Britian (England, Scotland and Wales), Japan, Tailand, Lebanon, China, Russia, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Laos – the last three not being totally harmonious, but in each I have found that people have values. They love their children and revere their forebears.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:53 pm