[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 159 (Wednesday, November 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S13952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I am pleased to offer a few remarks on 
behalf of myself and also the distinguished Senator from Oregon with 
regard to the brouhaha that has broken out over the Intelligence 
Committee and our inquiry into the possible existence of weapons of 
mass destruction and the use of intelligence information by this 
administration.
  In many ways, it is an unfortunate debate because if there is one 
thing that should absolutely be above and beyond partisanship, it is 
the Intelligence Committee, our intelligence services, and the use to 
which that information is put. We need to dedicate ourselves not to 
scoring political points but, instead, to protecting the national 
interest. When we have Members' motives cast in a bad light and heated 
rhetoric used, it does not serve that purpose in any way whatsoever.
  Senator Rockefeller, the ranking member on the Intelligence 
Committee, has been doing a very admirable job. It is my strong 
impression that he has been pursuing his responsibilities in a 
bipartisan way, trying to get at the truth in a way that is consistent 
with the finest traditions of the Intelligence Committee.
  I have never seen the report that has been alluded to. I understand 
it was simply a listing of possible options. And I can guarantee you 
that Senator Rockefeller has been under intense pressure by some others 
to pursue a much more partisan line of inquiry and to be much more 
confrontational. Instead, he has chosen to try to pursue the 
cooperative path first. I compliment him for that because it is exactly 
the course that needs to be pursued on the Intelligence Committee and 
in this body. Most importantly, we need to get beyond this current 
controversy.
  I happen to think those who are watching this debate out beyond the 
beltway are scratching their heads and saying: There they go again. 
What on Earth are they doing?
  We have gone to war at least in part because of the possible 
existence of weapons of mass destruction in the nation of Iraq. Our 
credibility is at stake. We need to get to the bottom of this and 
understand, if they do exist, what we can do to root them out and, if 
they do not exist, why we were led to believe they do exist. This is 
important to ensuring the national security interests of our country.
  We also need to get to the bottom of allegations about the possible 
manipulation or misuse of intelligence in the runup to the war--not for 
the purpose of scapegoating or witch hunting but for the purposes of 
ensuring that in fact it never takes place.
  Those in the majority shouldn't stonewall or circle the wagons, and 
those on our side of the aisle shouldn't engage in finger pointing and 
trying to score political points in a runup to a Presidential election 
next year. We need an objective, dispassionate search for the truth. 
That is what the American people deserve. It is my understanding that 
is what Senator Rockefeller is pursuing.
  Finally, the British have some experience in this area. They have 
just recently gone through an inquiry of their own over what was 
allegedly the ``dodgy dossier.'' I think that is how it is referred to 
in British circles. The Prime Minister even had to offer evidence under 
oath as part of that inquiry.
  No one is suggesting anything so intrusive on our side of the aisle. 
On the contrary, we would like to pursue this in a cooperative, 
nonpartisan manner to get at the truth, to determine whether weapons of 
mass destruction existed and, if not, why we were led to believe they 
did, and always to fairly and dispassionately analyze how information 
from the intelligence world was used in making the case to pursue the 
ouster of Saddam Hussein. That is in the national security interests of 
our country.
  I salute Senator Rockefeller for taking the appropriate course. I 
hope this debate will calm down and refocus on the business at hand, 
which is protecting the national security of our country, rather than 
engaging in heated, partisan rhetoric which we have way too much of 
around this town and in this Chamber.
  Those are my thoughts.
  I again compliment Senator Rockefeller, and I look forward to working 
with Members on both sides of the aisle to bring about that kind of 
inquiry.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I very much share the view of the Senator 
from Indiana. I simply say that a lot of paper floats around Capitol 
Hill that never sees the light of day. The document that has to guide 
the members of the Intelligence Committee--both Democrats and 
Republicans--is the Constitution of the United States. That is the tone 
that our vice chairman, Senator Rockefeller, has consistently set 
throughout this effort to get at the facts with respect to Iraq. That 
is the path I think every Member of the Senate ought to continue to 
follow. It ought to be a bipartisan goal. The American people deserve 
no less.
  There are legitimate and very troubling questions that need to be 
answered about the intelligence used to bring this Nation to war in 
Iraq. In fact, serious issues have come up just in the last week.
  I will say that I found it exceptionally troubling--really chilling--
that just last week, Paul Bremer, who is the point man with respect to 
the efforts on the ground in Iraq, was asked about the nature of the 
Iraqi resistance and in fact was told there really wasn't a capability 
in the intelligence community to give our country the information that 
is so necessary to protect our courageous men and women who are in 
harm's way.
  That is the kind of issue about which I think every Member of the 
Senate ought to be concerned. That is what the Intelligence Committee 
ought to be tackling in a bipartisan way. That is what Senator 
Rockefeller has consistently been trying to do.
  We can go through a lot of the past history. Certainly, in 
discussions about weapons of mass destruction, we were told right here 
in the U.S. Capitol on a number of occasions that those weapons have 
not materialized. There are issues with respect to the past that need 
to be examined. There are issues such as the point Mr. Bremer made just 
in the last week that I think are very troubling.
  I just urge that every Member of the Senate--and certainly those on 
the Intelligence Committee--recognize it is not the paper that floats 
around here that may or may not see the light of day and various kinds 
of draft documents that are important; what is important is that we do 
the work of oversight. That is what is in line with the document that 
ought to guide us--the Constitution of the United States. And that is 
what Senator Rockefeller has set out for us in his work. I commend him 
for it.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.
  (The remarks of Mr. Akaka pertaining to the introduction of S. 1822 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.

                          ____________________