Reply #17: another article to augment this [View All]

Pelosi taps Reyes for intelligence post
By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 4 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has chosen a Border Patrol agent-turned-congressman to lead the House Intelligence Committee, ending weeks of Democratic debate about who will oversee the nation's spy agencies.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (news, bio, voting record), D-Texas, takes over the key post next year, as his party tries to intensify oversight of the intelligence community. Critics say Republicans failed to do that, leading to faulty prewar intelligence on Iraq and other stumbles.

"When tough questions are required — whether they relate to intelligence shortcomings before the 9/11 attacks or the war in Iraq, or to the quality of intelligence on Iran or North Korea — he does not hesitate to ask them," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement announcing her choice of Reyes.

The selection of Reyes resolves one of the few committee chairmanships that was still in question after Democrats won control of the House of Representatives last month. It set up an early challenge for Pelosi, who had sole discretion on the selection.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_go_co/house_intelligence