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Post by berkley on Feb 24, 2023 1:26:27 GMT -5
The thing that hurt Jimmy the most was the Reagan campaign interfering in foreign policy by negotiating with the Iranian government and asking them to keep the hostages to make Jimmy look bad.
I've always wondered why this wasn't considered grounds for a trial for treason. Maybe there should be a mechanism for trying people posthumously, just to set the official record straight.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Feb 24, 2023 6:25:31 GMT -5
The "rock 'n' roll president." As the great white hope against the Nixon/Ford administration, Carter had a lot of help in his bid for the White House from the likes of John Denver, the Marshall Tucker Band, Bob Dylan, and especially from the Allman Brothers Band. (...) Yeah, at the time, Carter's affinity for rock and country was well known and often remarked upon (and, of course, the subject of jokes). Back in 1977, a popular political newspaper strip called Doonesbury (don't know how familiar non-Americans are with it) had week's worth of gags about Carter's relationship with Bob Dylan's music after he quoted a Dylan lyric in one of his speeches:
By the way, the aide named 'Jordan' is a reference to Carter's chief of staff, Hamilton Jordan, who - among other things - was a big country-western fan, and he reportedly often had country music blasting on the stereo in his office.
Otherwise, if you're interested, you can see all of those Doonesbury strips with the Dylan bit at this link (gocomics.com). The funniest ones have Carter on the phone with a musician buddy of Dylan's while he's off-panel in a jacuzzi... |
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Post by Calidore on Feb 24, 2023 7:39:35 GMT -5
The thing that hurt Jimmy the most was the Reagan campaign interfering in foreign policy by negotiating with the Iranian government and asking them to keep the hostages to make Jimmy look bad.
I've always wondered why this wasn't considered grounds for a trial for treason. Maybe there should be a mechanism for trying people posthumously, just to set the official record straight.
Was is ever confirmed that this actually happened? I remember the idea being put out and denied, but don't remember it ever getting past the conspiracy theory stage.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Feb 24, 2023 8:00:32 GMT -5
I've always wondered why this wasn't considered grounds for a trial for treason. Maybe there should be a mechanism for trying people posthumously, just to set the official record straight.
Was is ever confirmed that this actually happened? I remember the idea being put out and denied, but don't remember it ever getting past the conspiracy theory stage.
Yes, after a number of investigations - both official and independent - I don't think there's anything but troubling circumstantial evidence that the Reagan campaign was colluding with certain officials/diplomats in Iran. So there's no smoking (or even smocking) gun (although I could be wrong, it's been ages since I've done any reading on this topic). That's unlike the case in 1968, where there is apparently good evidence that the Nixon campaign was engaged in highly illegal activities to scuttle peace talks in Vietnam ahead of the presidential elections.
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 24, 2023 11:26:19 GMT -5
There was enough evidence to suggest they were having talks; but not enough to prove actual collusion and there were Congressional investigations, which found no credible evidence to pursue it further. The story mostly gained traction in light of Iran-Contra, which came several years later. However, Carter's economic sanctions and freezing of bank assets had a significant effect on Iran. Those assets were released after Reagan took office and an arms sale was conducted through Israel. That may or may not have been a quid pro quo. What is known is that the Iranian's were heavily invested in Carter losing the 1980 election, as a delcassified CIA memo from the time suggested that they were determined to use the hostages to bring Carter's defeat. Again, it isn't evidence of collusion; but, their goals were compatible.
The Reagan Administration also sold arms (including chemical weapons) to Iraq, during the Iran-Iraq war; so, you get a whole murky, shifting picture of their Middle East policies. Mostly, they were looking to counter Soviet influence in the Middle East and curry favor with the oil producing countries, as did other countries.
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