Mike Thompson: “Mr. President, watching President Clinton's summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last weekend, I think…”

“Mr. President, watching President Clinton's summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last weekend, I think we were all reminded of how far our two nations have come over the past decade, since President Reagan implored President Gorbachev to ``tear down (the Berlin) Wall,'' and President Bush presided over its destruction. While dangerous new threats have emerged, the Cold War that dominated the politics of our security for four decades is over, and the United States won. We should be proud of that victory and we should never forget the strength and resolve through which it was achieved. But it has become clear in recent months that that victory came at a high price for some of those who were most responsible for producing it. I am talking about workers in our nuclear weapons facilities run by the Department of Energy or their contractors. We now have evidence that, in at least some instances, the federal government that they had dedicated themselves to serving put these workers in harm's way without their knowledge.”