Conservative Ascendancy

Pen and Sword: A Letter From Iran by Chris Floyd: "(There has, of course, been much backroom dealing between the two nations’ leadership in the past decades – such as the Reagan-Bush Administration dealing illegal arms to the fundamentalist regime in the Iran-Contra scam, and, of course, the clandestine 'October Surprise' negotiations in 1980 between candidate Ronald Reagan's campaign team and the Khomeini regime that was holding American hostages. These secret talks, confirmed by some of the Iranian principals involved and directed, according to eyewitness testimony, by then-VP candidate and ex-CIA chief George H.W. Bush, were aimed at preventing the Iranians from releasing the hostages before the 1980 presidential election. [Robert Parry has the whole story here.] It goes without saying, of course, that such secret dealings by private citizens with foreign governments is high treason. And Iran's agreement to abide by Bush's request to prolong the suffering of the American hostages and their families by several months was very likely the deciding factor in Reagan's elevation to power. So there is your 'conservative movement' for you, your 'morning in America': the conservative ascendancy was founded on high treason and has now culminated in an unprovoked war of aggression and a self-declared presidential dictatorship above the reach of law."