** FILE ** Members of the Senate Watergate Investigating Committee are seen during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington as they listen to witness Robert Odle, foreground, in this May 17, 1973 file photo. From left are; Sen. Lowell Weicker, R-Conn., Sen. Edward Gurney, R-Fla., Chief Minority Counsel Fred Thompson, Sen. Howard Baker, R-Tenn., Sen. Sam Ervin, D-N.C., Chairman, Chief counsel Samuel Dash, Sen, Herman Talmadge, D-Ga., Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii and Sen. Joseph Montoya, D-N.M. Thompson gained an image as a tough-minded investigative counsel for the Senate Watergate committee. Yet President Nixon and his top aides viewed the fellow Republican as a willing, if not too bright, ally, according to White House tapes. (AP Photo/File)