Word: contra
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Forward momentum was something Reagan desperately needed after months adrift in the Iran-contra scandal and the devastating report from the Tower commission depicting an inattentive President surrounded by reckless advisers. The President's response to the report, and his widely applauded appointments of a new White House chief of staff and CIA director to go along with his new National Security Adviser, gave a boost to an Administration that had been foundering. Though it failed to address several of the more troubling aspects of Iranscam, the meticulously crafted twelve-minute speech showed that Reagan recognized the severity...
Reagan's address was not enough to convince his critics that he has learned the lessons of the past few months. "The President gave an excellent speech," said New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, "but no mere speech can dispel the doubts raised by the Iran-contra affair. Only time will tell whether the President has asserted control over the foreign policy of our nation." Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank was even blunter. "The Tower commission," said Frank, "did not find Reagan a lousy orator; they found him a lousy President...
Reagan had insisted on waiting for the release of the Tower report before facing the public on Iranscam, and he used the document as a guide for his comments. The President once again depicted himself as an innocent bystander in the Iran-contra affair, accepting responsibility for actions that took place "without my knowledge." Reagan said he "had to hunt pretty hard to find any good news in the board's report," but patted himself on the back by citing a sentence he was "relieved" to find in the 288-page document: "The President does indeed want the full story...
Since the Tower commission could not answer the question of what happened to the funds diverted to the contras, Reagan hardly discussed the matter, simply expressing confidence that the "truth will come out." He did not address a central finding of the report, that NSC officials secretly managed the contra war effort at a time when U.S. law prohibited U.S. military assistance to the rebels. As he has done previously, Reagan assured his audience that "I didn't know about any diversion of funds to the contras," adding, however, that "as President, I cannot escape responsibility...
...Tower board cited as a key reason for the White House crisis, saying it was a mode of leadership that served him well as California Governor and for most of his presidency. While he conceded that his style "didn't match its previous track record" in the Iran-contra affair, he made no serious promise to reform his ways...