Well, Mr. President, this is no game.  For the first time in our history, the United States has gone to war because of intelligence reports claiming that a country posed a threat to our nation.  Congress should not be content to use standard operating procedures to look into this extraordinary matter.  We should accept no substitute for a full, bipartisan investigation by Congress into the issue of our pre-war intelligence on the threat from Iraq and its use.

The purpose of such an investigation is not to play pre-election year politics, nor is it to engage in what some might call "revisionist history."  Rather it is to get at the truth.  The longer questions are allowed to fester about what our intelligence knew about Iraq, and when they knew it, the greater the risk that the people ú the American people whom we are elected to serve ú will lose confidence in our government. 

This looming crisis of trust is not limited to the public.  Many of my colleagues were willing to trust the Administration and vote to authorize war against Iraq.  Many members of this body trusted so much that they gave the President sweeping authority to commence war.  As President Reagan famously said, "Trust, but verify."  Despite my opposition, the Senate voted to blindly trust the President with unprecedented power to declare war.  While the reconstruction continues, so do the questions, and it is time to verify.

I have served the people of West Virginia in Congress for half a century.  I have witnessed deceit and scandal, cover up and aftermath.  I have seen Presidents of both parties who once enjoyed great popularity among the people leave office in disgrace because they misled the American people.   I say to this Administration: do not circle the wagons.  Do not discourage the seeking of truth in these matters.

Mr. President, the American people have questions that need to be answered about why we went to war with Iraq.  To attempt to deny the relevance of these questions is to trivialize the people's trust.   

The business of intelligence is secretive by necessity, but our government is open by design.  We must be straight with the American people.  Congress has the obligation to investigate the use of intelligence information by the Administration, in the open, so that the American people can see that those who exercise power, especially the awesome power of preemptive war, must be held accountable.  We must not go down the road of cover-up.  That is the road to ruin.