Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Senator Warren Rudman-Warren Rudman. And 62% of the same polling group says no aide to the Contras. And I can tell you myself Colonel North, from campaigning in New Hampshire a fairly conservative state in the fall of last year. As one who has with reluctance on occasion but in a finally analysis found there was no other solution for that aide to the Contras, that people in this country just don t think this is a very good idea. And that is why this Congress has been fickle and vacillating. Now you may suggest that some of us voted anyway. Even though it is against what our constitutes believe. I want to point out to you Colonel North. The Constitution starts with the words We the People. There is no way you can carry out a consistent policy if we the people disagree with it because this Congress represents the people. The President of the United States, the Greatest Communicator probably we ve seen in the White House in years, has tried for eight years and failed. You have tried. And I think probably failed in that. We ll see what the polls show in two or three weeks. And this relatively obscure Senator from New Hampshire has tried with no success at all.
Iran-Contra Hearings - Testimony of Colonel Oliver North.
Senator Warren Rudman-You know Colonel North, I go back to Korea in 1951. We won and then we lost. And then we were in a position to win again. And Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, who succeeded him, recognized that although it was a crime to leave the North Korean people to the subjugation of North Korea, we walked away. We could have won that war at that point. We could have liberated the North and many of us who were there wanted too. But the people didn t, they had enough of the killing, 550 thousand causalities. Lyndon Johnson wrecked his Presidency on the shoulders of Vietnam. I guess the last thing I want to say to you Colonel is that the American People have the constitutional right to be wrong. And what Ronald Reagan thinks, what Oliver North thinks and what I think or what anyone else thinks makes not a writ if the American people say enough. And that s why this Congress has been fickle, vacillated and that is correct. But not because the people here necessarily believe differently than you do. But there comes a point that the views of the American people have to be heard. Finally Colonel, I thank you for your testimony. You have been an extraordinarily helpful witness. You have filled in many details that are necessary and we appreciate that very much. Thank you.