# Pelosi:  Hastings or Harman or..

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [November 22, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462 "2006-11-22T20:16:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462/1 "2006-11-22T20:16:31Z")

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Anyone want to debate whether Alcee Hastings is more qualified than Jane Harman to serve as head of the House Intelligence Committee?

What can she possibly be thinking?

[TIME Mag’s take on it.](http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1562293,00.html)

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462/2 "2006-11-22T20:47:28Z")

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Harman is a noted “centrist” who can work with Republicans. Hastings has a past (impeached judge) that should disqualify him from such a position. If Pelosi doesn’t like Harman or doesn’t think she’s right for the job, she should find someone other than Hastings.

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**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462/3 "2006-11-22T21:16:50Z")

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[QUOTE=John Mace]  
Hastings has a past (impeached judge) that should disqualify him from such a position. If Pelosi doesn’t like Harman or doesn’t think she’s right for the job, she should find someone other than Hastings.  
[/QUOTE]

I’m in 100% agreement with these sentences.

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**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462/4 "2006-11-22T22:27:30Z")

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Josh over at Talking Points Memo has a lot of background on this this, and its something of a head scratcher.

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**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pelosi-hastings-or-harman-or/381462/5 "2006-11-22T22:52:31Z")

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I’m not too keen on Hastings or Harman. If the Democratic Party wants to be the party of ethical government, I don’t see how putting someone like Hastings in a position of power promotes that end.

I thought the Time article proposed a reasonable compromise choice: [Sanford Bishop, Jr.](http://bishop.house.gov/) That might satisfy the Black Caucus (which has been pushing for Hastings), and wouldn’t force Pelosi to appoint someone with whom she is at loggerheads (Harman).