Maybe I missed this in the exit polls from the November election. Did the voters want Democrats to do this:
From Newsweek, ‘We Can’t Afford to Leave’
In a surprise twist 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."
This does not seem particularly helpful to have Reyes line up with the McCain-Leiberman forces as Democrats try to pressure Bush to change his policy. His position here (especially after being billed as someone who was against the War from the start) is definitely from the department of WTF?.
Dcarrol had a diary on this yesterday afternoon that should have gotten more play. Seems like it should be discussed more.
I think Pelosi will be a great Speaker. I'm hoping that Reyes misspoke. But, this leaves some to wonder from a policy point of view, are we getting different results from what it would be if Harman assumed the post? Are we getting different results from what we would have if the GOP kept the chairmanship?
This does seem so out of the blue that I'm hoping that Reyes was misquoted. His position definitely needs to be clarified.
TPM did speculate earlier this month that there was cause for concern with the Reyes pick.
For my money the most troubling thing about Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Nancy Pelosi's choice to head up the House Intelligence Committee, is his frequent travels with GOP loose cannon extraordinaire Curt Weldon.
Joe Conason and others suggested that Rush Holt might have been a good choice.
Fortunately, the choice is not limited to Hastings or Harman. Among the possible alternatives is Rush Holt, D-N.J., a physicist and former State Department intelligence officer who is not only highly qualified to chair HPSCI but also has served on the committee with distinction. His honesty has never been questioned. For this job, above all others, Pelosi should honor her campaign promises and choose the best.
I'm hoping that Reyes was misquoted. It is enough to have to worry about Leiberman betraying our interests.