To understand this extraordinary development, historians might want to look back at the 1980s and examine the Iran-Contra scandal’s "lost chapter," a narrative describing how Ronald Reagan’s administration brought CIA tactics to bear domestically to reshape the way Americans perceived the world.
That chapter – which we are publishing here for the first time – was "lost" because Republicans on the congressional Iran-Contra investigation waged a rear-guard fight that traded elimination of the chapter’s key findings for the votes of three moderate GOP senators, giving the final report a patina of bipartisanship.
[...]
The American people thus were spared the chapter’s troubling finding: that the Reagan administration had built a domestic covert propaganda apparatus managed by a CIA propaganda and disinformation specialist working out of the National Security Council.
On Monday, the Republicans' campaign of appeasement smears against Barack Obama went from the sublime to the ridiculous. In an amazing if predictable display of chutzpah, Fox News commentator and Iran-Contra mastermind Oliver North rushed to John McCain's defense over the GOP nominee's spurious charges regarding talks with Iran. Of course, he was only repaying McCain the favor.
The morning of the West Virginia primary, I posted a diary of suggested "talking points" for Keith and the gang in case they got bored during primary coverage. I won't be able to do this tomorrow; I will be in higher education assessment meetings for most of the day; by the end of the day, I'll be looking for my ice pick to gouge out my eyes and ear drums. I've been doing a bit of homework about the state to my immediate south, Kentucky. Some of this comes from personal experience; some I looked up. I've visited Louisville twice - to see Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. Apparently, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival is in Louisville. Can you imagine "the Bard" with Kentucky accents? I hate Shakespeare, but I might be persuaded to listen to that! I've driven by Churchill Downs a number of times but never stopped. Kentucky is home of the famous Louisville Slugger factory. I've been to the Abraham Lincoln birthplace. I'm sure a number of us have sampled some of the fine bourbon made in Kentucky. And, finally, this one took me by surprise; guess what the state drink is? Milk! I would've thunk it'd be a mint julip or, say, maybe, bourbon! Shows what I know! You all take over from here and contribute your way-more-then 2 cents' worth about tonight's Countdown!
When you are deciding whether to listen to a Republican when they talk about Democrats as "appeasers," consider this. Crooks and Liars has the story of Oliver North on Fox News backing up Republican accusations that Democrats are "appeasers."
So who is Oliver North? Oliver North is the guy that Republican President Ronald Reagan sent to provide weapons and missiles to Iran.
Just 48 hours after jumping on the Bush appeasement bandwagon, John McCain is probably regretting his leap. First, it was revealed that the tough-talking Republican presidential nominee was for negotiating with the Hamas government in the Palestinian territories before he was against it. Then Americans learned that in 2003, Mr. Straight Talk favored engagement with the terror-sponsoring state of Syria. Now in his accusations against Democrat Barack Obama, John McCain conveniently forgot Ronald Reagan's dealings with Tehran during the Iran-Contra scandal. Given his defense the Reagan administration at the time, McCain's selective amnesia comes as no surprise.
The travesty of a debate last night reached its most McCarthyist moment when ABC "journalist" George Stephanopoulos asked Barack Obama questions about his distant association with William Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground.
In my mind, Bill Ayers falls into roughly the same category as Oliver North: someone who committed crimes but never served time due to a technicality. There is an important difference. Ayers never actually killed, or even tried to kill, anyone. North, by contrast, is responsible for helping to illegally funnel arms to our enemies in Iran and using the proceeds to provide money and weapons to support the terrorist actions of the Contras in Nicaragua.
By any objective account, Oliver North is a far worse terrorist than Bill Ayers, and John McCain’s campaign has a much closer connection to North than Obama’s campaign does to Ayers. Yet Obama is being interrogated on primetime network television about questions he’s already answered, while McCain is given a free pass.
In her syndicated column today, right-wing nut Ann Coulter compares Barack Obama to Hitler and claims that his book "Dreams From My Father" is like "Mein Kampf."
You might think this lunacy is a "jump the shark" moment for Coulter, except that she’s spouted insanity so many times before without losing any of her stature as a leader in the conservative movement.
If Barack Obama is constantly asked about his pastor’s remarks (and Louis Farrakhan’s unwanted endorsement of him), why won’t the media apply the same standard to McCain’s supporters on the far right?
False fears of terrorism are already entering the 2008 political debate. Last night, Sean Hannity declared on his TV show that Obama’s connections with education professor Bill Ayers would be a "major issue." Today’s Chicago Tribune features Jonah Goldberg’s column denouncing "Obama’s acquaintance with an unrepentant terrorist."
So let’s get some facts straight here. Ayers is not, and never has been, a terrorist. Obama had only a distant relationship with Ayers, and has criticized Ayers’ past and his views. While the right-wing and mainstream press attacks Obama for this non-story, it’s very interesting that media ignore John McCain’s embrace of someone who really did support terrorists and even supplied them with weapons: Oliver North.
Nicaraguan rebel leaders, scrambling for a survival strategy in the wake of congressional refusal last week to appropriate new aid funds, pleaded today for independent financial contributions from U.S. supporters to two private foundations based in Washington.
The contra leaders said Republican presidential candidate Robert Dole recently contributed $500 to rebel coffers, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) donated $400.
''They still engage in selective but systematic killing of persons they perceive as representing the Government, in indiscriminate attacks against civilians or in disregard for their safety, and in outrages against the personal dignity of prisoners,'' the report said. ''The contras also engage in widespread kidnapping of civilians, apparently for purposes of recruitment as well as intimidation.''
As far as deciding who might be the best VP for Obama, one should analyze some of the other potential ticket balancers out there. Voters are all familiar with Clinton, Richardson, Dodd, Biden, and Edwards but who are the other best choices out there? Governor Sebelius, Wesley Clark, Senator Jim Webb, Governor Ted Strickland, Governor Napolitano and Brian Schweitzer are the best VP candidates that come to mind.
In my vein of sharing email exchanges with friends and family, I received this forward last summer from my brother:
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"I thought you might be interested in this forgotten bit of information.........
It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of Lt. Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan Administration.
There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning! He was being drilled by a senator; "Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?" Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir." The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience, "Isn't that just a little excessive?" "No, sir," continued Ollie. "No? And why not?" the senator asked. "Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir. "Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned. "By a terrorist, sir" Ollie answered. "Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?" "His name is Osama bin Laden, sir" Ollie replied."
Freedom Alliance is a 501(c)3 foundation that is considered a charitable organization based on a loose IRS standard. Here is their mission statement:
The Mission of Freedom Alliance is to advance the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States and promoting a strong national defense.
Freedom Alliance, a 501(c)3 educational and charitable foundation, was founded in 1990 by LtCol Oliver L. North, who now serves as the organization's honorary chairman. We will work to "keep America strong, keep America prosperous, and keep America free," said North upon the founding of Freedom Alliance. And so we have.
What we have here, dear friends, is a political organization masquerading as a charity. Based on the mission statement, the biggest beneficiaries of this charity seem to be defense contractors if the purpose is to promote defense spending and aggressive foreign policy. Let's take a closer look.
An episode of War Stories - Hosted by Fox's favorite, indicted, military man Oliver North - aired this afternoon called: Hollywood Goes To War.
Though this piece originally was aired last year, it seemed to mesh quite nicely with recent programs that have highlighted, what Fox'News' deems to be, Hollywood's 'obvious far-left bias' in regards to the 'war on terror'.
What caught my attention was a portion of the program where North mentioned that President Roosevelt considered 'nationalizing' the film industry in order to maintain a high level of moral during the war.
Sean Insanitized Hannity's "Freedom Concerts" purport to help the troops. In reality, these concerts are a scam siphoning off money to his buddies and himself, including convicted felon Oliver North and his dubious charity, the "Freedom Alliance."
The Orwellian named Freedom Alliance, along with other charities, has been given an F rating by a non partisan watchdog group. Our friends at Newshounds have an excellent writeup on this story and even the Washington Post reported some of the facts. (A rarity for this rag of a newspaper.) However, and I am self promoting, the mainstream media is only several months behind DFQ in breaking this story. Makes you wonder who the real journalist is. Notwithstanding such, this story should be front page news.
I hate to bring up ancient history so old that I remember it and I'm only 33 years old, but if the republican party claims we've "been at war with Iran since 1979," could I trouble any of the bobble-head actors playing newspaper reporters on T.V. and in our major newspapers to ask the obvious question:
If republicans feel we're at war with Iran and have been since 1979, and that Iran is one of the vilest regimes on earth, why did they send them millions of dollars in illegal arms shipments in 1986?
This was an especially good one. It's not often we get Brit Hume, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Ollie North, and Joe Liebermann all together for the just dishonors.
Watch it:
I have never seen a family go to such great lengths to keep a old dictator from returning to his country even though only a prison cell awaits him there. President George H. W. Bush sent in nearly 30,000 troops to get him now the son George W. Bush has jumped in on the act by interfering in judicial process. Is he trying to coverup the sins of the father? There is an unmistakable pattern of intrusiveness that indicates that Noriega still has "Bush by his Balls" and is ready to squeeze them. Protected Witness
With his plea deal yesterday on charges of running a dog fighting operation, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick likely brought his NFL career to an end. But Vick's next calling awaits him as soon as he is released from prison. Michael Vick, it would seem, is supremely qualified to be a conservative pundit.
