After 4 Years of Countless Intelligence Briefings, Silvestre Reyes' Lack of Current World Affairs is Appalling

Recommending an additional 30,000 soldiers be sent to Iraq pales in comparison to not being able to identify Hezbollah

 

WASHINGTON (By Jon Garrido, Hispanic News and Blue Dogs of the Democratic Party) December 13, 2006 — On December 6, Hispanic News called for the appointment of Rep. Silvestre Reyes as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee be Rescinded.

 

In a surprise conflict in the debate over Iraq, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a stepped up effort to “dismantle the militias.” Reyes said, "Such ideas proposed by the Baker Hamilton report are not likely to substantially change my own views on the subject. This is my position.”

 

Speaker designate Nancy Pelosi chose Reyes as the new head of the intelligence panel primarily because Pelosi wanted somebody who would be more aggressive in standing up to the Bush policy on the war in Iraq. It certainly did not hurt Reyes is Hispanic and Hispanics played a significant role in changing the Congress from Republican to Democrat. This could become a prime factor in 2008.

Mr. Reyes has served on the House Intelligence Committee since 2001 and has been briefed countless times on Iraq, Israel, Jordon, Lebanon, Syria, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Kurds, Sunni and Shiites along with travel to Iraq five times, Afghanistan three times and recent trips to Lebanon and Israel.

Mr. Reyes has considerable experience as a member of the House Intelligence Committee plus Reyes was an early opponent of the Iraq war and voted against the October 2002 resolution authorizing President Bush to invade that country. That dovish record was the basis for the Reyes appointment.

As the incoming Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee, Reyes was asked last week by national security editor Jeff Stein, a reporter with Congressional Quarterly, whether al-Qaeda was Sunni or Shiite. "Predominantly -- probably Shiite," Reyes replied.

Reyes could not describe Hezbollah and incorrectly described al-Qaeda's Islamic roots in a recent interview.

From Osama bin Laden down, al-Qaeda's leadership is comprehensively Sunni and subscribes to a form of Sunni Islam known for not tolerating theological deviation.

In fact, U.S. officials blame al-Qaeda's late leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, for the surge in sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites.

Asked to describe the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, according to a story published online, Reyes responded "Hezbollah. Uh, Hezbollah" and then said, "Why do you ask me these questions at 5 o'clock?"

The Texas congressman later added: "Speaking only for myself, it's hard to keep things in perspective and in the categories."

Reyes calling for 30,000 more troops be sent to Iraq and now confusion on who or what is Hezbollah (the Shi'a Islamist terrorist and political organization based in Lebanon and backed by Iran and Syria), it is utterly incomprehensible after 5 years on the Intelligence Committee; Mr. Reyes would not know the name of one of the most noted terrorist groups in the world. Mr. Reyes is simply out of touch with world affairs and does not have the qualifications required to be the highest ranked Congressmen in the House Intelligence Committee.

As alarming as not knowing about Hezbollah, Mr. Reyes lacks understanding of the al-Qaida terrorist network and other Islamist extremists.

Reyes didn't know that al-Qaida was a Sunni organization, and couldn't pin down Hezbollah's Shiite affiliations, during the interview

The differences between the Sunni and Shiites are more than semantics. Islam's 1,400-year-old rift is playing out in deadly fashion across Iraq, where ordinary citizens are caught in a crossfire between insurgents, terrorists and militias motivated by politics and religion.

For the past 5 months, the Israel invasion of Beirut with the conflict leading to war in Lebanon has been in the news around the world with repeated stories of Hezbollah, the Shi'a Islamist terrorist and political organization based in Lebanon and backed by Iran and Syria that has been in the news since July 12 to the October 1 when Israel withdrew from Lebanon.

The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, known in Lebanon as the July War and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War, was a military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel, primarily between Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israeli military.

The conflict killed over 1,400 people, most of whom were Lebanese civilians, severely damaged Lebanese infrastructure, displaced about 900,000 Lebanese and 300,000 Israelis and disrupted normal life across all of Lebanon and northern Israel. Even after the ceasefire, 256,000 Lebanese remained internally displaced, and much of Southern Lebanon remained uninhabitable due to unexploded cluster bombs.

On August 11, 2006, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved UN Resolution 1701 in an effort to end the hostilities. The resolution, which was approved by both Lebanese and Israeli governments the following days, called for the disarming of Hezbollah, for Israel to withdraw, and for the deployment of Lebanese soldiers and an enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon force in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army began deploying in southern Lebanon on August 17, 2006. The blockade was lifted on September 8, 2006. On October 1, 2006, most Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon, though the last of the troops continued to occupy the border-straddling village of Ghajar until December 3, 2006.

We commend the Speaker for acknowledging the importance of American Hispanic participation at the chairperson level but Mr. Reyes is an embarrassment to the Hispanic community. It is important to appoint Hispanics but pales to the welfare of the United States. Astute intelligence gathering, analysis and oversight has a significant role in national security.

The House Intelligence Committee chairman becomes one of the most important persons safeguarding our nation. We need someone capable of discernment of intelligence information and the ability to provide oversight to protect Americans.

It is not to late to rescind his appointment from further embarrassment in the world of global leadership. America now needs to change direction. Mr. Reyes will simply not understand the intricacies and complexities of intelligence gathering required at the macro intelligence level.

Mr. Reyes is no leader. To further win in 2008 requires substance and at this point it is clear the appointment of Mr. Reyes to chair the House Intelligence Committee was all show.