Jon Kyl: “I begin with the proposition that it does help to have been on the Senate Intelligence Committee or to be a member of…”

“I begin with the proposition that it does help to have been on the Senate Intelligence Committee or to be a member of the committee today to conduct a more thoughtful, reasoned discussion of this debate than has generally been characterized by the media accounts. People in the media tend to try to capsulize everything in an attention-grabbing headline way when in fact intelligence is a very complex, difficult proposition that needs to be handled and approached in the most cautious and careful manner. I think it is important for those people who have been on the committee or, as the Senator from Missouri sitting next to me noted, currently just received briefings as a member of the committee--it is important for them to be able to respond when comments have been made such as those just concluded. David Kay did not say we got it all wrong. I invite anyone who would like to bring to this floor a quotation from David Kay that says 'we got it all wrong' to do so. He did not say that. I know that is what opponents of the Bush administration wish he had said, but he didn't say that.”