Sunday, November 4, 2007

[1879 - Will Rogers, humorist, born in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)]

[1918 - Art (William Matthew) Carney, Academy Award-winning actor, born in Mount Vernon, New York]

[1948 - T.S. Eliot wins Nobel Prize in literature]

[1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president]

[1979 - Iranian terrorists storm U.S. Embassy, take 90 hostages]

Exit Strategy

On this day in 1979, radical Islamic fundamentalist followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 90 hostages. The Ayatollah released some non-U.S. captives, females, and minority Americans. The remaining fifty-two U.S. male captives remained hostages of the Ayatollah for the next 14 months. President Jimmy Carter was unable to resolve the crisis, and in November 1980 Carter lost to Ronald Reagan. The day of Reagan's inauguration almost $3 billion in frozen Iranian assets were released by the US, and the Iranians were promised $5 billion more in US financial aid. Minutes after Reagan was sworn in, an Algerian airliner flew the 52 U.S. hostages out of Iran. Draw your own conclusion.

So much for all the election campaign rhetoric about foreign terrorists never influencing a United States presidential election. They did a pretty good job of it in 1980. So much also for Reagan's vow not to negotiate with terrorists. Someone clearly did so in order to get him elected, and he himself acknowledged to the nation in 1987 during the Iran-Contra scandal that he had been involved in the decision to secretly sell arms to the Iranians. At least President Reagan had the decency to apologize to us.

To his credit, President Reagan moved swiftly to clean the White House. John Poindexter and Oliver North both took bullets for the President, who denied knowing what they were up to. Sure. The only reason imaginable why smart guys like North, Poindexter, (and now Scooter Libby) would engage in stupid acts of lying to Congress or to the Grand Jury is to protect the Chief. You and I have probably worked for a boss or two. We learned the first day on the job that you do not put your boss in harms way without telling him or her about it first. Can you imagine that Presidents Reagan and Bush, and Vice President Cheney were not in the loop when these loyal soldiers did what they did? Do you still believe in the Tooth Fairy?

With the adoration of the late President Reagan still in mind, perhaps the present administration will take a page from his book and just pay off the terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. Even allowing for inflation, the few billions Reagan shelled out to the Ayatollah would be a bargain compared to the ongoing costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan occupations ($9 Billion per month), to say nothing of the lives that would be saved.

William's Whimsical Words:

Upon leaving the presidency in 1961, President Eisenhower warned the nation of the danger of too much power being concentrated in the Military-Industrial Complex. Apparently, no one listened.

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