Thursday, November 4, 2004

[1879 - Will Rogers born]

[1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower elected president]

The Problem is Complex

Upon leaving the presidency, President Eisenhower warned the nation of the danger of too much power becoming concentrated in the Military-Industrial Complex. Apparently no one listened.

[1979 - Iranian terrorists storm U.S. Embassy take 90 hostages]

Exit Strategy

On this day in 1979, radical Islamic fundamentalist followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 90 hostages. The Ayatollah soon began releasing non-U.S. captives, females, and minority Americans. Fifty-two U.S. captives remained hostages of the Ayatollah for the next 14 months. President Jimmy Carter was unable to resolve the crisis, and in November 1980 Carter lost to Ronald Reagan. The day of Reagan's inauguration we liberated almost $3 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and promised the Iranians $5 billion more in financial aid. Minutes after Reagan was sworn in, an Algerian airliner flew the 52 U.S. hostages out of Iran.

So much for all the recent campaign rhetoric about foreign terrorists never influencing a United States presidential election. They did a pretty good job of it about two and a half decades ago. So much also for Reagan's vow not to negotiate with terrorists. With the recent adoration of the late President Reagan still fresh in its mind, perhaps the present administration will take a page from his book and just pay off the terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. Even allowing for inflation, the few billions Reagan shelled out should be a bargain compared to the ongoing costs of the occupation, to say nothing of the lives that would be saved.

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