Oil execs, you can lie if you want to .... Ted Stevens says no reason to

be sworn in.

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - CEOs from the nation's biggest oil companies sparred with lawmakers Wednesday at a Senate hearing into this year's jump in oil prices and record industry profits.

.............

Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens rejected calls by some Democrats to have the executives sworn in, saying the law already required them to tell the truth.

"There is nothing in the standing rules to require that witnesses be sworn," the Alaska Republican said. "These witnesses accepted the invitation to appear before the committee voluntarily. I shall not administer an oath today."

Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii and the ranking Democrat on the Commerce Committee, said the CEOs should want to testify under oath.

"If I were a witness I would prefer to be sworn in so the public knows what I was about to say is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," he said. "If I were a witness I would demand to be take the oath."

http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/09/news/economy/oil_hearing/index.htm?cnn=yes

to take the oath and moreover, why certain public officials have not demanded to take the oath before giving their statements.

If they were to raise their hands, they would have to take them out of OUR POCKETS. There's a limit, after all, to what they will do for the public.