Allow me to endorse the conclusion reached here by Matthew Yglesias regarding who the Democrats should appoint to be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee:
[P]ass over both [Rep. Alcee] Hastings and [Rep. Jane] Harman and reach down to the number three Democrat on the panel in terms of seniority, Silvestre Reyes.
Yes. Not only is Rep. Reyes better on the merits than either of the other two choices, but putting him in that chair helps to undo a little of the damage that Tom DeLay has wrought to Texas’ Congressional clout. That’s a win-win in my book.
putting him in that chair helps to undo a little of the damage that Tom DeLay has wrought to Texas’ Congressional clout.
I wouldn’t think a state’s “clout” ought to factor into the matter of intelligence all that much, really.