Post a Comment On: Internal Monologue

UPDATE: Kos has front-paged this.

[Colorful language warning] OK, just a quick post. This NYT editorial, by Jeff Stein, national security editor at Congressional Quarterly, really pissed me off this morning:
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?
[snip]

But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?
He goes on to describe several cases of appalling ignorance on the most basic questions. For example, Willie Hulon, the chief of the FBI's new national security branch, was unable to answer whether Iran was Sunni or Shia. Chief of the FBI's national security branch. I cannot get that through my skull. (In case you don't know, it's predominantly Shia). And it gets worse from there. Go read it. I hope to God that this editorial was false or exaggerated, because if this level colossal fucktardic ignorance is as prevalent in high levels of government as Mr. Stein depicts, we are so completely fucked than I can't even wrap my head around it. No wonder our Mideast policy is to self-destructively assbackwards and fucked non-consensually in the ass with a fucking cactus every which way from Thursday. It's like trying to drive a car without looking out the window. I really can't believe it.

I am reminded of the following quote: Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.

Maybe we should make reading this a prerequisite to holding any government position involving national security or Mideast Policy.

God damn this pisses me off. This administration and political movement rewards head-up-your-ass ignorance with the highest positions. May November be a cleasing deluge.