mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ at thi moment of challeng for our nation __PUNCT__ the vantag point of thi __DATE__ chamber __PUNCT__ we look onto a world fill with danger __PUNCT__ deepli complex threat against our troop and our nation interest abroad __PUNCT__ and genuin risk to our secur here at home __PUNCT__
keep our nation strong and our peopl safe requir that we emploi the best and smartest strategi avail __PUNCT__
in confront enemi and threat __PUNCT__ we ar fortun to possess a great mani asset __PUNCT__ all of which we must wise deploi __PUNCT__ includ our militari __PUNCT__ diplomat __PUNCT__ econom __PUNCT__ and cultur asset __PUNCT__
our strongest asset remain the democraci that we ar privileg to take part in as member of the senat and as repres of our constitu __PUNCT__
our democrat institut __PUNCT__ under our constitut __PUNCT__ balanc on anoth and check against excess and concentr of power that help us wrestl with difficult challeng in an open and forthright wai __PUNCT__
thi constitut framework is not an obstacl to pursu our nation secur __PUNCT__ but the exampl that we should project to the world __PUNCT__
our democraci __PUNCT__ with it tradit of account power and open debat __PUNCT__ is america at it best __PUNCT__
and that what we need __PUNCT__ america at our best __PUNCT__ as we deliber and resolut confront the threat pose by the iranian regim __PUNCT__
now __PUNCT__ make no mistak __PUNCT__ iran pose a threat to our alli and our interest in the region and beyond __PUNCT__ includ the unit state __PUNCT__
the iranian presid ha held a confer deni the holocaust and ha issu bellicos statement after bellicos statement call for israel and the unit state to be wipe off the map __PUNCT__
hi statement ar even more disturb and urgent when view in the context of the regim request to acquir nuclear weapon __PUNCT__
the regim also us it influenc and resourc in the region to support terrorist element that attack israel __PUNCT__
hezbollah attack on israel thi summer __PUNCT__ us iranian weapon __PUNCT__ clearli demonstr iran malevol influenc even beyond it border __PUNCT__
we also have evid __PUNCT__ although it is by no mean conclus __PUNCT__ of attack us iranian __PUNCT__ suppli or manufactur weaponri against our own american soldier __PUNCT__
as i have long said and will continu to sai __PUNCT__ u. __PUNCT__ polici must be clear and unequivoc __PUNCT__ we cannot __PUNCT__ we should not __PUNCT__ we must not permit iran to build or acquir nuclear weapon __PUNCT__
and in deal with thi threat __PUNCT__ as i also said for a long time __PUNCT__ no option can be taken off the tabl __PUNCT__
but america must proce deliber and wise __PUNCT__ and we must proce as a unifi nation __PUNCT__
the smartest and strongest polici will be on forg through the institut of our democraci __PUNCT__
that is the geniu of our american system and our constitut duti __PUNCT__
we have wit these past six year __PUNCT__ until the most recent elect of a new congress by the american peopl __PUNCT__ the cost of congression derelict of it oversight duti __PUNCT__ a vital role entrust to congress by our constitu __PUNCT__ enshrin in __PUNCT__ and even requir by our constitut __PUNCT__
so we ar here todai becaus the price that ha been paid in blood and treasur __PUNCT__ through the rush to war in iraq and the incompet of it execut and manag the aftermath __PUNCT__ in the excess of militari contract abus and the inadequ suppli of bodi armor and armor vehicl on the ground have led to a loss of confid among our alli and the american peopl in thi administr __PUNCT__
therefor __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ we cannot and we must not allow recent histori to repeat itself __PUNCT__
we continu to experi the consequ of uncheck presidenti action __PUNCT__
sunlight is the best disinfect __PUNCT__ but thi presid wa allow __PUNCT__ for too long __PUNCT__ to commit blunder after blunder under cover of dark provid by an alli republican congress __PUNCT__
in deal with the threat pose by the iranian regim __PUNCT__ which ha gain it expand influenc in iraq and the region as a result of the administr polici __PUNCT__ presid bush must not be allow to act without the author and oversight of congress __PUNCT__
it would be a mistak of histor proport if the administr thought that the __NUM__ resolut author forc against iraq wa a blank check for the us of forc against iran without further congression author __PUNCT__
nor should the presid think that the __NUM__ resolut author forc after the terrorist attack of 9/11 __PUNCT__ in ani wai __PUNCT__ author forc against iran __PUNCT__
if the administr believ that ani __PUNCT__ ani us of forc against iran is necessari __PUNCT__ the presid must come to congress to seek that author __PUNCT__
i am deepli concern by the recent statement come out of the bush administr __PUNCT__
the administr ha assert evid that the iranian regim complic __PUNCT__ at the highest level __PUNCT__ for attack within iraq __PUNCT__
yet at the same time __PUNCT__ gener peter pace __PUNCT__ chairman of the joint chief of staff __PUNCT__ question these as assert __PUNCT__ in particular __PUNCT__ the capabl and intent of the iranian govern __PUNCT__
in thi delic situat __PUNCT__ while make disturb comment __PUNCT__ there ar report that the administr __PUNCT__ is send a third aircraft carrier to the gulf __PUNCT__
the presid ow an on __PUNCT__ go consult to thi congress and ow straight talk to the countri __PUNCT__
we have to get thi right __PUNCT__
the congress should debat our current cours __PUNCT__ includ the current silent __PUNCT__ treatment polici toward our adversari __PUNCT__
i believ we can better understand how to deal with an adversari such as iran if we have some direct contact with them __PUNCT__
i think that can give us valuabl inform and better leverag to hold over the iranian regim __PUNCT__
and if we ever must __PUNCT__ with congression agreement __PUNCT__ take drastic action __PUNCT__ we should make clear to the world that we have exhaust everi other possibl __PUNCT__
i welcom the agreement announc yesterdai between the unit state and north korea __PUNCT__
it demonstr the central valu of us everi tool in our arsen to achiev our object __PUNCT__
i onli wish the administr had pursu thi cours six year ago when an agreement with north korea wa within reach __PUNCT__
the wast time ha allow north korea to develop nuclear weapon in the interim __PUNCT__
failur to us diplomaci ha damag our nation secur interest __PUNCT__
the import step forward our countri ha made with north korea rais the obviou question __PUNCT__ why will the presid refus to have ani kind of process involv iran as i and other have urg __PUNCT__ the unit state engag in talk with north korea within a multilater process __PUNCT__ but also had ongo bilater discuss __PUNCT__
we should have such a process of direct engag with iran __PUNCT__ as recommend by mani __PUNCT__ includ the iraq studi group __PUNCT__
we need friend and alli to stand with us in thi long war against terror and extrem __PUNCT__ and to contain and alter the regim that harbor and support those who would harm us __PUNCT__
dure the cold war __PUNCT__ we spoke to the soviet union while thousand of missil were point at our citi __PUNCT__ while it leader threaten to buri us __PUNCT__ while the regim sew discord and militari upris and action against us and our alli __PUNCT__
that wa a smart strategi us by republican and democrat presid alik __PUNCT__ even though it wa often a difficult on __PUNCT__
as we discuss potenti evid of iranian complic in suppli arm to insurg __PUNCT__ along with the refus to suspend their nuclear ambit __PUNCT__ we need to deliv a strong messag to iran that we will not stand by and toler thi behavior __PUNCT__
howev __PUNCT__ we need to deliv that messag forcefulli through direct talk __PUNCT__
the live of american soldier ar at risk and we should not outsourc our discuss with the iranian on thi and other issu __PUNCT__
when i sai no option should be taken off the tabl __PUNCT__ i includ diplomaci __PUNCT__
current __PUNCT__ our intellig on iran is of uncertain qualiti __PUNCT__
we need to examin the fact close and carefulli __PUNCT__
no action can or should be taken without explicit congression author __PUNCT__
and know what we know now __PUNCT__ thi bodi need a steadi stream of real __PUNCT__ verifi intellig __PUNCT__
we __PUNCT__ in the congress __PUNCT__ cannot do our part in decid what need to be done if we do not know what is happen __PUNCT__
and it doe not appear that the administr ha ani real grasp on the fact on the ground __PUNCT__ even after all these year __PUNCT__
the public unclassifi section of the nie report recent issu __PUNCT__ made it veri clear in their conclus that sectarian violenc would still exist in iraq absent iran __PUNCT__
so we have a lot to sort out here __PUNCT__
we have all learn lesson from the conflict in iraq __PUNCT__ and we have to appli those lesson to ani alleg that ar be rais about iran __PUNCT__
becaus __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ what we ar hear ha too familiar a ring and we must be on guard that we never again make decis on the basi of intellig that turn out to be faulti __PUNCT__
if we find evid of potenti iranian complic __PUNCT__ we will take appropri action __PUNCT__ but that requir a partnership to defend and protect america nation secur interest between the congress and the presid __PUNCT__
oversight will also lead to a consensu approach that bring togeth the best judgment and strategi of our nation and will examin the consequ of action __PUNCT__ the realiti of ani perceiv or alleg threat __PUNCT__ and the consequ of take action __PUNCT__
i sometim fear that the word __PUNCT__ consequ __PUNCT__ ha been taken out of the vocabulari of thi administr __PUNCT__
we have to look over the horizon __PUNCT__
we have to make hard choic among difficult option __PUNCT__
so __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ there ar no easi answer to the complex situat we confront in the world todai __PUNCT__ but if we do face threat __PUNCT__ then congression consult and author will bring the american peopl into the debat __PUNCT__
whatev step __PUNCT__ if ani __PUNCT__ mai be requir should be taken by our nation __PUNCT__ not just by our presid __PUNCT__
we must act as american __PUNCT__ not as member of on parti or anoth __PUNCT__
our nation ha been divid by a fail polici and the relentless pursuit of it __PUNCT__
we ar face that again with the escal polici that the presid is pursu todai __PUNCT__
mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ if we face up to our constitut respons as the congress __PUNCT__ if we conduct the oversight that is requir __PUNCT__ if we exercis our check and balanc __PUNCT__ then we ar like to reach a better conclus than we have thu far __PUNCT__
we must be tough and smart __PUNCT__ delib and wise __PUNCT__ and we must look at all of our asset __PUNCT__ not just the brave men and women who wear the uniform of our countri to implement the best polici __PUNCT__
we should start by emploi our best valu __PUNCT__ the democrat valu that give strength to our nation and our caus __PUNCT__ and that serv as an exampl and beacon to peopl who wish to live in peac and freedom and prosper around the world __PUNCT__
mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ i yield the floor __PUNCT__
