We move forward together, as one Nation and as one people.

You are the first class in 9 years that will graduate into a world where there are no Americans fighting in Iraq.

Higher education is not a luxury, it is a necessity of this new global economy and everybody should be able to afford it.

That fact made your investigation easier in terms of tracking down the women, but it also seems to reinforce the claim that this kind of conduct has been tolerated in the past.

I give you credit for issuing that to make it crystal clear.

I just think that between the alcohol--and, I do not know, the environment--these individuals did some really dumb things.

my concern is that additional information starts coming out, other stories come out month after month after month, and we need to get this behind us.

I am so concerned about what happened and so deeply troubled by the incident that is the subject of this hearing today.

I think it is critical that the IG do a completely independent investigation, not just a review of the agency's investigation.

If I finally become successful in convincing you that there is a broader problem here with culture or with unacceptable behavior being condoned...

It is somewhat ironic that we can be relieved that the women for the most part were simply prostitutes.

Forty percent is a very high percentage that would not report.

I urge you to try to put that aside because if there is a problem, if the Washington Post story today is correct, you cannot be confident that this has not happened before and that it will not happen again.

So was there a sweep done of the hotel rooms to see whether the women involved had planted any electronic surveillance equipment?

Let me begin my remarks today by stating my strong belief that the vast majority of the men and women of the U.S.

Doesn't that suggest a broader problem?

From my perspective, when you combine the facts of this case...that just spells a broader problem with culture in the agency.

We all have a role to fully investigate this as a result, and we all have a role to be sure that this kind of risky and unprofessional behavior does not occur again.