Senators and Members of Congress are not under oath when they speak on the floor. If you testify before them, you are under oath, but they can lie all they want. They can preface their questions to you with lies that make you look bad, but if you make the slightest misstatement, you can be held accountable. They can demand that you answer, under oath, a question that bears directly on pending litigation (e.g. is tobacco addictive?), and you must answer truthfully.
Kerry is very cavalier about his truthfulness while testifying. He did say to Tim Russert that he was young and some of the comments were cover the top (admitting to lying as far as I am concerned). He did admit some turned out not to be true ... and others did turn out to be true.
What an odd approach to the truth!
Thanks - I was dumb to have thought the government would have acted in any other way......