Word: iran-contra
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...some of our most recent presidents have been victimized not by bad policies, but by dangerous "character flaws." Richard Nixon's downfall was not Watergate, the argument goes, but his own feeling of paranoia that led him to order the break-ins. Likewise, Reagan's downfall was not the Iran-contra scandal in itself, but rather his inattention to detail and his willingness to delegate responsibility to zealots like Oliver North...
...impounded by Washington when relations were severed in 1980. "Let them ((U.S. officials)) take a nonhostile pose by releasing our assets," said Rafsanjani. "If so, we will use our influence in Lebanon." Reagan Administration officials quickly ruled out the possibility of any deal that had the appearance of an Iran-contra- style ransom. Reagan nonetheless chose to view the comment optimistically, saying, "If they're willing and ready to talk, it's time...
...role in the gulf war did not come without a price, monetarily and otherwise. Tehran's voracious appetite for weaponry with which to wage the conflict led directly to the Iran-contra affair, the secret attempt by the Reagan Administration to ransom U.S. hostages in Lebanon with arms for Iran. In 1987, largely to prevent the Soviet Union from assuming a greater role in the region, Washington agreed to reflag Kuwait oil vessels with the Stars and Stripes and escort them through gulf waters under U.S. naval protection. That decision sparked some Democratic demands for Reagan to seek congressional approval...
Meanwhile, North and Iran-contra CoDefendants John Poindexter and Albert Hakim won an unexpected ally in their upcoming trial on conspiracy charges. The American Civil Liberties Union announced it had filed a brief supporting the defendants' motion to dismiss the case because their immunized testimony at last summer's congressional hearings compromises their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. "The Government had to choose between compelling them to testify before Congress and leaving open the possibility of a criminal prosecution," said the A.C.L.U.'s Kate Martin. If the motion is accepted, the only defendant to stand trial would be retired...
...campaign debts and less charisma than Dukakis, his appeal to the risk-averse Dukakis may be simply that the bland ex-astronaut could not hurt him, and he could help him win Ohio. Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton emerged as a foreign policy heavyweight and Mr. Integrity during the Iran-contra hearings. A lively presence Hamilton has never been, and he may not even be able to deliver his traditionally Republican home state...