The Crazy October Surprise Debunking

[L. Coyote]

The Crazy October Surprise Debunking
By Robert Parry (A Special Report)
November 6, 2009

Patently absurd reasoning in someone’s argument can often tell you about the strength of the underlying facts. If an argument is deceptive on its face, you might suspect the supporting facts are pretty fragile, too.

Such was the situation in late 1992 as America reached an important turning point for whether the people would get to understand their recent history or not. A bipartisan House task force wanted to debunk allegations that Ronald Reagan’s campaign in 1980 had sabotaged President Jimmy Carter’s negotiations with Iran about freeing 52 Americans, who were taken hostage 30 years ago this week.

That alleged act of treachery, making Carter look weak and inept, set the stage for Reagan’s landslide victory on Nov. 4, 1980, exactly one year to the date after the hostages were seized. But the suspicions about this so-called October Surprise case only reached a critical mass in 1991-92 after several years of disclosures about the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages scheme.

Despite Republican denials about any secret pre-election 1980 dealings with Iran – and the anger that the allegations drew from influential neoconservatives in the Washington press corps – a House task force was created to examine the case, although without much enthusiasm and mostly with an eye toward debunking the suspicions.

.............. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/110609.html

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. If Iran has proof

They don't need WMDs.

[The Magistrate]

2. It Was Odoriferous At the Time, Sir, And The Stench Continues....

[Raster]

3. Two events signalled the end of Carter's presidency:

(1) The "sham" oil crisis; and
(2) The Iranian hostage situation.

Both of which reek of Bush, Sr. and associates.

[leveymg]

10. There was actually more crude oil stockpiled in U.S. during the 79-80 "Iran oil crisis" than before

The big integrated oil giants shut several big US refineries down and stopped importing distilled product. The result, they created a "gas shortage", which was made far worse by cutting off supplies to independent distributors.

The "Iran Oil Crisis" was phonier than a 3-Dollar Bill, but it sure worked to panic the Average American into voting for Reagan and Bush. It also did wonders for the bottom-line profits of the Seven Sisters and Aramco.

[Raster]

11. Agreed. There was a concerted effort by the shadow powers to make sure

Carter--and his energy agenda--did not get elected again.

[leveymg]

13. Also, thank Energy Sec Schlesinger for his bad advise to Carter to not invoke emergency

powers over oil companies in 1979. Schlesinger staked out a position that domestic production of heating oil should increase at the expense of gasoline production, and that "market forces" alone would compel the oil companies to import enough distilled product to cover any shortfall in domestic motor fuel stocks. That analysis proved very wrong -- all it did was cause artificial shortages and drive up the price of gasoline -- but Schlesinger, a carry-over from the Nixon and Ford Admins, could not be convinced to change his mind. Bipartisanship didn't work very well then, either.

See, Stalking The Oil Crisis WASHINGTON, DC–To motorists lined up at the pumps, the crisis of 1979 was easy enough to define: a gasoline ... were convinced that the country faced a heating oil emergency. ... One official who tried to sway Schlesinger was Carlyle Hystad, ... we were doing every goddamn thing in our power (to avert a shortage). ...
http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF0406/Donovan/Donovan....

More than anything else, it was the TV Networks and their hysterical coverage of Iran and the "gas crisis" that was responsible for stampeding the herd. So much for the myth of the "liberal media", as well.

[BlueMTexpat]

7. +1!! n/t

[zeos3]

4. For those who haven't seen it...

google "The Secret Government - Constitution in Crisis." It's a 90 minute PBS documentary by Bill Moyers that deals with this subject.

...or check it out here:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17720.h...

[BobTheSubgenius]

5. Try October Surprise, by Gary Sick.

I have never read a book with such an incredible wealth of citations. It actually became kind of tedious, but I can't imagine how he could have been more thorough.

The quintessential quote from the book was from a former colonel in a foreign secret service (either France or Israel - it's been 15 years since I read it) who said:

"An October Surprise? Of COURSE there was an October Surprise."

[dmr]

6. For the sake of bi-partisanship, we let another Bush administration

get a freebie.

History repeats itself, doesn't it?

1. Crimes
2. Bi-partisan cover-up
3. Partisan warfare

Now 30 years later:
1. Crimes
2. Bi-partisan cover-up
3. Partisan warfare

Only this time it's far worse, deadly, bloody, co$tly

30 years from now, I'll probably be dead, but my son, and his future children's children will be here. Will we survive the next round of crimes?

Do you have any idea why Lee Hamilton was so freaking accommodating? Wonder what compromise they had on him. I was very angry he sat on the 911 Commission. Bet Poppy's people designed that.

[BlueMTexpat]

8. Yes, Good Old Boy Lee served the BFEE well!

Both times.

[philly_bob]

9. Unfortunately, article contains no new info, no smoking gun.

But I only scanned the article. Maybe I missed something.

I too am suspicious that Casey & Bush Sr. engineered Reagan victory, but we need some new revelations, some contemporary proof.

[leveymg]

12. You don't think there's enough proof on the historical record?

A lot of it was, in fact, compiled by Bob Parry. Would you like your pony wrapped in blue or pink ribbons?

[philly_bob]

17. No. I doubt if 10% of Americans accept Parry's October Surprise thesis.

How often was it mentioned during Reagan weeklong funeral TV coverage? Again, I think we need a smoking gun, a Lewinsky dress, a confession. Some new information.

[L. Coyote]

15. The smoke cleared long ago, and the story was clear long ago.

If you knew all this before, why ask for a smoking gun now?

[philly_bob]

18. In Wikipedia it's a "conspiracy theory," it's "alleged."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_surprise_conspirac...

You need a smoking gun to convince the 90% of Americans who dismiss it.

[L. Coyote]

20. Wikipedia LOL

[bleever]

14. Hamilton helped cover it up to promote bipartisanship, and the GOP then went to war with Clinton:

Another irony of the falsified October Surprise history was that Hamilton’s wished-for bipartisanship never materialized. The Republicans pocketed the Democratic readiness to cover up for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush – and then launched a partisan war against Bill Clinton.

[bertman]

16. Not THE Lee Hamilton, Mr. 9-11 Commission co-chair??!! Wow, what a surprise that we'd

get another whitewash from Mr. Republican Ace-In-The-Hole.

Rec.

[TexasObserver]

19. Recommended.