No Slack for Democrats

In some ways, I want to cut incoming Democrats and those new to their leadership roles a little bit of slack. They have, after all, been systematically locked out of everything over the past six years and more.

Unfortunately, the current world situation doesn't allow for any slack.

That's why this story should get wide dissemination:

In an interview with the editor on national security for Congressional Quarterly, the incoming Democratic chairman for the House Intelligence Committee [Texas Congressman Silvestre Reyes] was unable to answer "fundamental questions" related to the Middle East, including which sects terror groups adhere to.

However, despite having absolute control and access to everything during this period, those Republicans in important roles were even less informed than their incoming Democratic replacements:

But Stein reports that Reyes knew more than his last round of "Gotcha" victims.

"Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., and Terry Everett, R-Ala., both back for another term, were flummoxed by such basic questions, as were several top counterterrorism officials at the FBI," when Stein wrote about them in October.

Willie Hulon, Executive Assistant Director for the FBI's new National Security Branch, falsely answered that Iran and Hezbollah were Sunnis, while the Republican House intelligence subcommittee chairs couldn't tell the difference between Shiites and Sunnis, although they both admitted that such knowledge was "very important."

Now is not the time for slack. Now is not the time for slackers.

Democrats had better spend the holidays boning up on such basics rather than celebrating their win and glad-handing with newly interested corporate donors.

We're watching.