Iran Contra’s Dark Secret Revisited With Activist’s Death, Part Four

Bunch’s theory as outlined in his Huffington Post article, is that Reagan, Bush, et al, getting away with Iran Contra inspired Bush, Cheney, et al to try to get away with torture, Iraq, wire tapping, etc. After all, Bush’s father pardoned Weinberger, Abrams, and others, and himself got away with Iran Contra. But perhaps more importantly, Cheney was already inspired and instructed, because, as the ranking Republican in the House Committee to investigate Iran Contra, he knew of the drugs and he and Hyde convinced House Chairman Lee Hamilton to ignore the issue so Reagan/Bush could get away with it because “no one wanted to take America through that kind of impeachment”—only the Clinton kind.

Cheney and Helms believed a president should not be hindered in making foreign policy. In fact, in Cheney’s opening statement at the hearings he stated, “Some will argue that these events justify the imposition of additional restrictions on presidents to prohibit the possibility of similar occurrences in the future,” he said, “In my opinion, this would be a mistake. In completing our task, we should seek above all to find ways to strengthen the capacity of future presidents and future Congresses to meet the often dangerous and difficult challenges that are bound to rise in the years ahead.” How ominous given what we know about Cheney’s role as de-facto president in the Bush Administration. This is something Helms echoed loudly on July 17, 1989, the ninth anniversary of the Cocaine Coup, from the Senate floor in railing against a post-Iran Contra Senator Moynihan bill to prohibit “soliciting or diverting funds to carry out activities for which United States assistance is prohibited”, during which Helms said, “Congress has the power of the purse, period. Congress has no Constitutional authority to prohibit, let alone criminalize, a foreign policy which any President wishes to pursue. If the policy can be implemented without the expenditure of funds, Congress can have no effect on the outcome in any manner under the Constitution of the United States.” Perhaps Cheney even wrote that speech for Helms. Cheney and Helms were probably very close, after all Cheney did pay his last respects at Helms’ funeral.

Cheney worked for Nixon during Watergate and for Ford during the pardon. As a Congressman on the Investigating Committee during Iran Contra he helped subvert Congress and the Constitution by fighting to control the damage Iran Contra could have done to Reagan and the power of the presidency. With knowledge of Iran Contra cocaine, Cheney, and Hyde, steered the hearings away from drugs which would have destroyed the careers of Reagan, Bush, North, Abram, and perhaps most Republicans for years to come. And now, after the end of eight years of lies from Bush-Cheney, et al about WMD, et al, Cheney is the link to Iran Contra that allowed Bush and he to get away with it.

Further, it seems Obama is helping by simply wanting to move forward. For that, Obama would probably have garnered Helms’ praise. Is Obama allowing another, more despicable whitewash now with even more sinister consequences in the near moving forward future?

With the current state of American politics, what illegal political deeds and gross subversions of the Constitution and “American values” will Bush, Cheney, et al, inspire in this generation of Republicans and Democrats? And when will a future “Eddie” be forced to take to the stage to act their part in the play now being written by them after watching how Bush, Cheney, etc., may have gotten away with it?

We may only know while it’s being covered up.