(Firewall)-Couple of Iran/Contra questions if anyone knows

[liveoaktx]

I'm gripped by this book and it may be that eventually these questions will be answered (I'm in chapter 5 now) but I don't immediately see answers to some questions raised by the content.

When Congress wouldn't fund the Contras, Reagan directed McFarlane to "keep the Contras together body and soul" even though this meant McFarlane would be breaking the law. from p 19 "McFarlane then invited the Saudi Arabian ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, to replace part of the funds withheld by Congress. Bandar arranged a contribution of $1 million per month to the Contras, beginning in mid-1984. At a breakfast meeting with Reagan in early 1985, King Fahd bin Adbul Aziz volunteered to double that amouth. In all, the Saudis contributed $32 million to the Nicaraguan insurgents."- My first question- What did the Saudis get in return for that investment?

Second, WHY was Congress, at the time, in such an all-fired hurry to do their own investigative committee, when in order to get information, they would have to give immunity to some of the principals, which would mean the special prosecutor wouldn't be able to indict the witnesses? Who benefited in Congress at the time from rushing this through?

And a comment: This is EXACTLY the viewpoint I took away at the time of the Iran/Contra scandal-I wasn't paying attention. p 23 "The image of the junior officer at the steering wheel with the commander in chief dozing in the rear seat remains fixed in popular history. This picture reflects not only the evidence put before the public when attention was highest but also the political strategy to preserve Ronald Reagan an the national security establishment from damaging scrutiny. Given a choice of evils, the administration chose to present the president as ignorant. To depict him otherwise, as a central figure in executing two policies he heartily endorsed, might have set in motion a drive for impeachment"- Talk about a mirror time to G W Bush. As I'm reading this, I keep thinking that you replace Reagan with Bush and the scandals with the NSA Spying/Torture/Rendition/Iraq War, etc, and you have Deja Vu.

[Wilms]

1. Good question.

Makes me wonder how it may relate to Iraq policy at that time.

[Pithy Cherub]

2. A chain of disturbing thoughts for you:

1983 was the year of invading Grenada and the tragic Deaths of over 220 U.S. Marines in Lebanon. It is also the year before a presidential election. International contributors can't give to U.S. candidates. International "fixers" can give to presidential "pet projects" though. from 1981 to 1983 OPEC was having issues around production. Demand for their 'product' was going down. Hmmmmmm. :shrug:

The end of the book will tell you exactly who Fisk holds responsible from congress and the administration. It'll be even more apparent the further you go.