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In reply to the discussion: Who was the last decent Republican president? [View all]HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)97. Well, no . . .
. . . because lauding one of the most corrupt regimes in Modern American History, the genesis of most modern American problems if you will, would be criminal in it's own right.
The grand irony of the Iran-Contra scandal is that Reagan won the presidency by marketing himself as tougher on Iran than Jimmy Carter was during the Iranian hostage crisis. According to a slew of allegations, Reagan may have developed a cozy relationship long before the Iran-Contra dealings when he allegedly asked the Iranian government to delay their release of American hostages until after his election campaign against Jimmy Carter ended and he was elected president. If Reagan did deliberately delay the release of American hostages to benefit his election campaign, he would be guilty of treason.
Congress investigated the allegations now known as the October Surprise Conspiracy Theory twicefirst in 1992 in the Senate, and a second time in 1993 when the House launched the House October Surprise Task Force. Both Congressional investigations ended when they turned up insufficient evidence. Major world leaders of the time have also corroborated the claims. Former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani-Sadr claimed that Reagans campaign demanded that he delay the release of the American hostages until after Reagans first election or else Reagan would actively bolster Bani-Sadrs opposition party.
snip
n 1986, as the horrors of South African apartheid shocked the world, the United States Congress passed what was known as the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. The law imposed a series of sanctions against the South African government and aimed at crippling the apartheid regime that carried out some of the worst racial segregation and human rights violations in human history. According to the law, the sanctions would be only lifted if the South African government put an end to apartheid. However, despite the fact that the law was passed by Congress, it did not go into lawat least, not at first. President Ronald Reagan opposed the sanctions and also vetoed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act.
Despite an international coalition which set out to end apartheid, Reagan kept close ties with the racist South African regime behind it. Reagan met privately with P.W. Botha, the South African leader behind apartheid on multiple occasions. Reagan helped prop up P.W. Botha by denouncing the African National Congress that was determined to end his racist regime as dangerous and communist.
Congress investigated the allegations now known as the October Surprise Conspiracy Theory twicefirst in 1992 in the Senate, and a second time in 1993 when the House launched the House October Surprise Task Force. Both Congressional investigations ended when they turned up insufficient evidence. Major world leaders of the time have also corroborated the claims. Former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani-Sadr claimed that Reagans campaign demanded that he delay the release of the American hostages until after Reagans first election or else Reagan would actively bolster Bani-Sadrs opposition party.
snip
n 1986, as the horrors of South African apartheid shocked the world, the United States Congress passed what was known as the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. The law imposed a series of sanctions against the South African government and aimed at crippling the apartheid regime that carried out some of the worst racial segregation and human rights violations in human history. According to the law, the sanctions would be only lifted if the South African government put an end to apartheid. However, despite the fact that the law was passed by Congress, it did not go into lawat least, not at first. President Ronald Reagan opposed the sanctions and also vetoed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act.
Despite an international coalition which set out to end apartheid, Reagan kept close ties with the racist South African regime behind it. Reagan met privately with P.W. Botha, the South African leader behind apartheid on multiple occasions. Reagan helped prop up P.W. Botha by denouncing the African National Congress that was determined to end his racist regime as dangerous and communist.
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The Act of Congress that created it was the National Defense Highway Act of 1956
lastlib
Feb 2018
#100
Roosevelt also took credit during Spanish-American War away from the Buffalo Soldiers...
brush
Feb 2018
#70
Its a compelling story. Hard to believe they were psychotic. I did the audio book and had to stop
Gabi Hayes
Feb 2018
#134
Horrible, I am going to have to do some reading up on that. My father's parents
smirkymonkey
Feb 2018
#108
Thanks for that info. I didn't know about that. Roosevelt also sanctioned the discrimnatory pay...
brush
Feb 2018
#133
Eisenhower, who in his farewell speech, warned of the industrial-military complex.
Liberty Belle
Feb 2018
#4
Yes, that was possibly the most famous farewell speech ever, but I never get this question answered:
Boomerproud
Feb 2018
#8
If you believe the behind the scenes directives from JFK, he was battling the powers-that-be
Boomerproud
Feb 2018
#25
Reagan and his pals were genocidal crooks who committed treason to gain office,
Gabi Hayes
Feb 2018
#82
Dwight Eisenhower. His farewell speech was a warning about the Military-Indultrial Complex.
VOX
Feb 2018
#24
Agreed. American economic hegemony post world war 2 was based largely on the fact that
Volaris
Feb 2018
#63
My dad says Ike. I've not known one in my lifetime... Ford maybe least bad?
Still In Wisconsin
Feb 2018
#36
I tried to edit my post to add Ike, but lost my connection. Ike was actually a war hero & better...
Hekate
Feb 2018
#94
Are you kidding? Nixon was a crook who committed treason to get in and he was not to the left...
brush
Feb 2018
#75
Nixon promised South Vietnam a "better deal" if they delayed the Paris peace talks...
Rollo
Feb 2018
#124
Im a few years to young to remember him. I will find his speech on line and listen 🙂
MLAA
Feb 2018
#68
"Operation Wetback" (yes, the actual name) was launched under Eisenhower as well.
bullwinkle428
Feb 2018
#67
Eisenhower gave us the roads we still use today...the current crop of GOP losers are only interested
Demsrule86
Feb 2018
#98
I wasn't born until just before Kennedy was assasinated, so I have no experience of a
smirkymonkey
Feb 2018
#104
Eisenhower, unquestionably. Conservatives hated their non-conservative brethren for it...
JHB
Feb 2018
#115
Eisenhower was a few years before my time but, as this discussion indicates...
Different Drummer
Feb 2018
#125