Bob Dole: “I know there is talk about, ``Well, we can't do this because of Iran-Contra,'' but there were a lot of speeches made on…”

“I know there is talk about, ``Well, we can't do this because of Iran-Contra,'' but there were a lot of speeches made on this floor in 1991, one by now Vice President, then Senator, Al Gore, who said, with reference to the 1980 October Surprise: The evidence which has thus far trickled into the public domain is still fragmentary. Much of it is circumstantial, but it is compelling. If the allegations are not true, the country needs to know they are not true. If they are true, the country needs to know that as well. * * * I believe the air needs to be cleared. * * * So, I am today calling for a formal investigation of these charges and allegations without prejudging what that investigation might find, but believing deeply that it needs to take place in order to establish the truth or falsehood of the allegations that have been made. That was all about a bunch of rumors and some guy named Gary Sick who came down here and convinced Democrats that we ought to have a hearing on whether or not President Reagan was engaged in some kind of conspiracy back in 1980 with reference to hostages. We had hearings on that. Nobody said, ``Oh, we can't do that because of Iran Contra,'' or whatever, because of what Mr. Fiske or Mr. Walsh may have said. So, we can all be quoted. I notice that the Democrat National Committee said in 1973, I believe, that I wanted to stop the Watergate hearing. Well, I dug out that speech. We were not trying to stop the hearings.…”