Remember this: Iran gave us Ronald Reagan.

[Xolodno]

60. Way too many generalizations...

Carter didn't lose because of Iran....it was just the final nail...there were plenty of issues going on aside from Iran. The Republicans could have run a "B" movie star from Hollywood and won......oh wait....

And Iran didn't hold the hostages that long just to mess with the election alone (although I would admit, it was a bonus). Iran knew the appetite of "American Intervention" via influence and by direct intervention. The taking of hostages was in a way "spontaneous" due to the massive anti-American rhetoric that was going on (as the leadership fully expected the US to intervene and needed to keep up the fever against.....and why would they think that would happen?....).

The Iranian leadership also could not release the hostages, otherwise, they would appear "sympathetic" to the United States. They also knew they couldn't keep them for too long, lest they risk war...and lets face it, they knew even if they won, their deputies would be in charge afterwards as they would all be dead. This was just as much a quagmire for them.

Carter wasn't willing to go to war as he knew the hostages would be toast. Thus even more incentive by Iran to hold the hostages. But then came Regan. Who implied he didn't give a shit if the hostages died and would go to war, something the Iranian leaders played to their populace to give them cover to release them. So, they released them...depriving Regan (and former CIA guy, Bush) of an excuse to go to war.

The USA was played...it no longer had an excuse to go to war, but at the same time...had no influence. Achieving exactly what Iran wanted the whole time....no war...and no US influence. This was further evidenced during the Iran Contra affair...when the US sold Iran arms....to buy influence in releasing hostages from a front group...as opposed to strong arming them as was usually done. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more instances of where the USA payed them off for something.

And there was never any love between Iran and the USA. The US Government encouraged and supplied (even with chemical weapons) Iraq in its war with Iran (Saddam's sin was failing to take out Iran). And lets not forget Iran Air flight 655...Plus the crippling sanctions aren't there because the US Government felt all Cuba like all of sudden.

Also, lets not forget Iran's biggest sin in the eyes of the US. Forcing it to cuddle up with Sunni's instead of the less radical Shiites. With Iran in its back pocket the US could push influence in the Mid-East for more "secular" governments. But when Iran said it wouldn't play ball, the US had to suck up to the princes of Saudia Arabia....knowing full well they would get rich off of US money and funnel some of it against US interests. If Iran was still under American control...OPEC would not have the teeth it does. Why do you think that the recent thawing of relations has been met with so much opposition from the Saudis? The Saudis will lose influence and bank if Iran and the USA open up to each other. They don't want that happening.

This whole Iran gave us Regan...Regan cooperated with Iran, etc. memo is tired and worn. Its insulting the Iranian people, insulting to the American people and insulting to the world. The CIA, in its anti-communist paranoia, over reached. A populace wouldn't take it anymore and fought back...screwing up "the best laid plans of the CIA".

And that's it. I may not convince you or others who love the Republican-Iran conspiracy theory...but as someone who had to jump through a lot of hoops to help get my wife a passport when we planned to travel abroad...just because her father was born in "Persia"....I'm going to have a different perspective.