Something must have creeped into the drinking water on Capitol Hill, because it wasn't the first time in recent weeks that a Democratic congresswoman forgot who she was grilling.

Take the House Select Committee on Intelligence hearing late last week, when Rep. Janice Schakowsky, Illinois Democrat, began her blistering attack on the intelligence community. In doing so, she called the CIA director, who is also an Air Force general, Michael V. Hayden, by the wrong name — "General Gates" — not once, but twice.

This occurred even though Mrs. Schakowsky was sitting almost directly across from Mr. Hayden, who for that matter was wearing his Air Force uniform that bears the shiny nameplate "Hayden."

To the congresswoman's credit, she could have thought she was speaking to former CIA Director Bob Gates, who left the CIA job 15 years ago. (We also recall a "Gen. Gates" — Horatio Lloyd Gates — who was an American general during the Revolutionary War.)

Either way, during her brief remarks Mrs. Schakowsky charged that "Gen. Gates defends the use of torture," and she pointed out that "earlier this week, Gen. Gates, you testified that for the first time the CIA waterboarded three al Qaeda detainees."

Not the political sort, which is a refreshing change in Washington, Mr. Hayden chose not to correct Mrs. Schakowsky, and simply answered the congresswoman's questions until such time as she said, "OK, my time is ticking away."