Salon: How John Kerry exposed the Contra-cocaine scandal

[kskiska]

Derided by the mainstream press and taking on Reagan at the height of his popularity, the freshman senator battled to reveal one of America's ugliest foreign policy secrets.

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In December 1985, when Brian Barger and I wrote a groundbreaking story for the Associated Press about Nicaraguan Contra rebels smuggling cocaine into the United States, one U.S. senator put his political career on the line to follow up on our disturbing findings. His name was John Kerry.

Yet, over the past year, even as Kerry's heroism as a young Navy officer in Vietnam has become a point of controversy, this act of political courage by a freshman senator has gone virtually unmentioned, even though -- or perhaps because -- it marked Kerry's first challenge to the Bush family.

In early 1986, the 42-year-old Massachusetts Democrat stood almost alone in the U.S. Senate demanding answers about the emerging evidence that CIA-backed Contras were filling their coffers by collaborating with drug traffickers then flooding U.S. borders with cocaine from South America.

(snip)

In taking on the inquiry, Kerry challenged President Ronald Reagan at the height of his power, at a time he was calling the Contras the "moral equals of the Founding Fathers." Kerry's questions represented a particular embarrassment to Vice President George H.W. Bush, whose responsibilities included overseeing U.S. drug-interdiction policies.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/25/contra/index.html

[tsuki]

1. BCCI,

why doesn't someone talk about all the work he did exposing the BCCI, the grandfather of terrorism? He, Hank Brown and Robert Morgenthal did one hell of a job exposing that monster. Drug Cartel money, CIA, and terrorist funding. It was the bank of the Bin Ladens.

And why doesn't someone talk about the 24 million joint venture loan put together with the BCCI to bail Harken Energy out when Bush was on the board?

Were there too many political hands in the pot?

[tsuki]

2. Read this...

http://fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/

[chinacatsunflower]

3. thanks

john kerrys great. while i hold my newborn baby in my arms typing this message i just pray that his truth will prevail over bush's ignorance. Based on this article and on kerry speaking out about what was goin on in vietnam...i have so much faith in that man that he will make our country a better place.where the working middle class can move up in this world. where we will be safe and free. i already supported his adminstratioin 100% when i found out that john edwards made hsi millions by suing large businesses. so thanks you just gave me one more reason of why i support kerry 100%