Robert Perry, he is someone who broke one of the most important stories in this country's history.

The Iran-Contra story broke it for the Associated Press and Newsweek in the 80s.

He's a long-time investigative reporter.

In 1995, he started the first web-based investigative magazine Consortion News.com.

I guess I should start off by just saying that I've been a journalist in this city since 1977.

I've worked for the Associated Press and Newsweek and public broadcasting's front line,

as well as starting consortium news.com and as an investigative website.

And I have to say that in all these years,

I can't think of a time

when there has been a group think as single-minded

as the one we've seen over the past year or so

regarding the Ukraine crisis.

And this is not to say that there weren't some pretty awful and destructive group things

that preceded this one.

But I've just never seen a moment when so little questioning has occurred about something

as important as whether or not there will be a second Cold War,

whether there will be a possible nuclear confrontation between the United States and Russia

that might conceivably end all life on the planet. There's been a cavalier attitude,

and not just what you might expect it on some of the TV shows,

but you've seen it at the very heart of the most prestigious news organizations in the United States.

I would say most particularly the New York Times, but certainly the Washington Post and others fall into this.

Now, as I said, I came to Washington in

...