A Clandestine Trip and a Four-Decade Secret: An Untold Story Behind Jimmy Carter's Defeat

[Nevilledog]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html

No paywall
https://archive.is/lDjiU

WASHINGTON — It has been more than four decades, but Ben Barnes said he remembers it vividly. His longtime political mentor invited him on a mission to the Middle East. What Mr. Barnes said he did not realize until later was the real purpose of the mission: to sabotage the re-election campaign of the president of the United States.

It was 1980 and Jimmy Carter was in the White House, bedeviled by a hostage crisis in Iran that had paralyzed his presidency and hampered his effort to win a second term. Mr. Carter’s best chance for victory was to free the 52 Americans held captive before Election Day. That was something that Mr. Barnes said his mentor was determined to prevent.

His mentor was John B. Connally Jr., a titan of American politics and former Texas governor who had served three presidents and just lost his own bid for the White House. A former Democrat, Mr. Connally had sought the Republican nomination in 1980 only to be swamped by former Gov. Ronald Reagan of California. Now Mr. Connally resolved to help Mr. Reagan beat Mr. Carter and in the process, Mr. Barnes said, make his own case for becoming secretary of state or defense in a new administration.

What happened next Mr. Barnes has largely kept secret for nearly 43 years. Mr. Connally, he said, took him to one Middle Eastern capital after another that summer, meeting with a host of regional leaders to deliver a blunt message to be passed to Iran: Don’t release the hostages before the election. Mr. Reagan will win and give you a better deal.

*snip*

[MyOwnPeace]

1. Dirty tricks - a Republican specialty.......

[Beakybird]

2. Nixon, Reagan, and Trump won by cheating.

Bush II won because of a corrupt Supreme Court.

[dsc]

3. What a coincidence

the person who gets Bush into the guard also happens to be the man who helps keep the hostages in Iran and keeps it secret for decades.

[Hekate]

7. A coinkydink indeed

[kacekwl]

4. No secret. This has been

known forever but of course no consequence for working against your own government the hostages and citizens of America. USA, USA, USA indeed.

[DFW]

5. This is a story that has been recounted since 1980

Though this is the first time I have seen a name put to a first-hand telling of it.

[Hekate]

6. Right. Nice of the NYT to finally verify it.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. I remember that. It was pretty obvious. Right after

Reagan got in all the hostages were freed.

[UTUSN]

9. "Lillies (Democrats) that fester smell far worse than weeds." - SHAKESPEARE

CONNELLY ex-Dem; BARNES (official registration not known) once a Dem young star. Throw LIEBERMAN in there for good measure.

[roamer65]

10. IMO, it led to "arms for hostages".

Iran got arms thereafter to influence its policy on Hezbollah hostages in Lebanon, then the money was funneled to the Nicaraguan Contras.

Typical Repuke corruption.

[Carlitos Brigante]

11. ".... that Mr. Carter would manipulate the hostage crisis to effect a release just before the

election.... " Now there's that good ol' repuke projection we all know and loathe.

[hippywife]

12. What a long, wild read. 0.o nt

[mackdaddy]

13. The former President of Iran confirmed the story many times that there was a deal to hold them.

Until after the election.

https://www.wrmea.org/1987-october/did-iran-delay-hostages-release-to-ensure-reagan-s-election.html


https://truthout.org/articles/without-reagans-treason-iran-would-not-be-a-problem/

https://theintercept.com/2021/10/11/bani-sadr-reagan-iran-hostages-october-surprise/

[Mr. Sparkle]

14. What really pisses me off is these assholes have been going around pretending to be patriots for ..

the last 40 years. As we have seen since the trump era, they are anything but .

[Kid Berwyn]

15. October Surprise

Ben Barnes (D) is a former Lt. Governor of Texas. He accompanied former Governor and former Democrat John Connally to Middle Eastern capitals to make plain a Reagan-Bush administration would give Iran a better deal. Look at all the arms and spare parts for F4s and Hawk missiles Israel started sending just after Jan. 20, 1981 — years before all the Iran-Contra treason.

This story should be front page news, leading every broadcast, because it shows the GOP practicing treason to win elections. But, hey, treason’s OK if a Republican does it.