Holy Crap

But first, a little ditty: "One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others By the time I finish my song?" NYTimes (10.17.06), via Washington Monthly:

"For the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: 'Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?' A 'gotcha' question? Perhaps. But if knowing your enemy is the most basic rule of war, I don’t think it’s out of bounds. And as I quickly explain to my subjects, I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each want?" Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite?

"Take Representative Terry Everett (R - AL2), a seven-term Alabama Republican who is vice chairman of the House intelligence subcommittee on technical and tactical intelligence." "'Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?' I asked him a few weeks ago." "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.'" "Representative Jo Ann Davis, a Virginia Republican (R - VA1) who heads a House intelligence subcommittee charged with overseeing the C.I.A.’s performance in recruiting Islamic spies and analyzing information, was similarly dumbfounded when I asked her if she knew the difference between Sunnis and Shiites." "'Do I?' she asked me. A look of concentration came over her face. 'You know, I should.'" Sweet Jesus. Our government is being run by fucking morons.