Speaker Pelosi's Impending Intelligence Failure Speaker Pelosi's Impending Intelligence Failure

TCS Daily: Speaker Pelosi's Impending Intelligence Failure points out one of the scariest things about Nancy Pelosi's elevation to be Speaker - that she has committed to appoint Alcee Hastings as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. This is, of course, the same Hastings who is one of only six federal judges even removed from office through impeachement by the House and conviction by the Senate - both at the time run by the Democrats.

Needless to say, it is all politics. Pelosi owes the (Liberal) Congressional Black Caucus for her elevation to minority leader, and more recently for booting Wm. Jefferson from the Ways and Means. This is, of course, the same Wm. Jefferson who shortly after Katrina used the National Guard to ferry him to his house in order to collect the marked bribe money that the FBI ultimately found in his freezer wrapped up like leftovers.

It is interesting that both Hastings and Jefferson belong to the CBC, both have been caught taking bribes, and both have risen in the House Democratic party, despite that. Of couse, both also have extrodinarily safe seats due to majority minority districts gerrymandered for them. But it does pose a dilemma - whether it is worse having a bribest on the Ways and Means committee, or chairing Intelligence (making the obvious assumption that Polosi had to pick one or the other). Ways and Means, of course, is perfect territory for a bribest, as that is where the money bills come from. But the Chair of the Intelligence Committee has unprecedented access to our military and national security secrets, and that is worth a lot of money to some parties who might not put our national interests first.