Oliver North SOF Book Out Now

[Smurf]

Saw this at Barnes and Nobles the other day- looks like it's really well done; good read, lots of info and great pics in it.

http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/fidelis/books.asp?p=9780805447125

 

[Burr]

I added it to my wish list, maybe next month!

 

[ÉIREGOBRÁCH1922]

Looks like an interesting read.

 

[HOLLiS]

What he was when he was a BNG LT:

 

[Ravage]

Read the reviews, the book got mixed opinions.

 

[Marauder06]

What's Oliver North's credibility? Other than being busted for lying to Congress? Asking because I don't know.

 

[HOLLiS]

Graduated from the USN Academy. Was in 3/3 in 1969 plt leader in RVN.. Protected the President in the Iran Contra Affair. Was a Lt Col or Col when he left the Marines.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

He was a LTC and was made a scapegoat during the 80's, he ended up with major felony convictions that were later overturned. He was involved in funneling funds through covert means into groups we were supporting in South America, and he was possibly involved with the sale of weapons and drugs for the same means.

I think he was made to be a fall guy and he took like a man IMO.

 

[DA SWO]

He was a LTC and was made a scapegoat during the 80's, he ended up with major felony convictions that were later overturned. He was involved in funneling funds through covert means into groups we were supporting in South America, and he was possibly involved with the sale of weapons and drugs for the same means.

I think he was made to be a fall guy and he took like a man IMO.

He also came up with the plan to capture the achillio lareu thugs (though our friends the Italians gave them up).

He was a sharp individual, who saw the danger the Communists posed in Central America

He wasn't busted for lying, they tried to nail him for accepting a security fence (after his family had been threatened).
FWIW- There was misconduct by at least one juror who said (in an interview) that the prosecutor hadn't proven his case, but they thought he was guilty of something; so the jury found him guilty on the lowest charge presented.

 

[Marauder06]

He wasn't busted for lying, they tried to nail him for accepting a security fence (after his family had been threatened).

Was that the security fence to protect against a then-little-known terrorist group called Al Qaeda?

 

[Polar Bear]

What's Oliver North's credibility? Other than being busted for lying to Congress? Asking because I don't know.

You are as old as I am, you don't remember the coverage? .....He did not lie

 

[DA SWO]

Was that the security fence to protect against a then-little-known terrorist group called Al Qaeda?

It may have been.

 

[Marauder06]

You are as old as I am, you don't remember the coverage? .....He did not lie

Wasn't he convicted for lying to Congress? Or am I confusing him with someone else?

Edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_North

During the hearings, North admitted that he had lied to Congress, for which, among other things, he was later charged.

 

[HOLLiS]

"During the hearings, North admitted that he had lied to Congress, for which, among other things, he was later charged. He defended his actions by stating that he believed in the goal of aiding the Contras, whom he saw as freedom fighters, and said that he viewed the Iran-Contra scheme as a "neat idea"'

If you missed out on what was happening at the time, the political climate in the US in relation to Iran and Nicaragua, I might be able to explain it. He protected the President and served the US, something that many of the members of congress seems to fail to do and was failing to do it then. One might said, he took the bullet for the President.

Because many do not understand what was going and tend to go along with the partisan BS and propaganda at the time, they will tell you that the US Support Saddam in the Iran/Iraq war, which was far from the actual fact. The Iran/Contra affair was all a part of that. Not much different than President Roosevelt supporting Britain before the US was actually officially at war with Nazi Germany. The political climate at the time, was to do the wrong thing.

 

[Scotth]

Don't sugar coat it. He sold 500 TOW missles to IRAN and used the proceeds to fund an illegal war in Central America that defied an act of Congress. If you read Micheal Smith's Killer Elite North is also blamed for blocking rescue attempts for the 7 people taken hostage in Lebanon at the time. North didn't want a rescue attempt to screw up his deal with the Iranian's.

Admiral Poindexter fell on the sword to protect the President and said it never went above him. North didn't protect the President.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Don't sugar coat it. He sold 500 TOW missles to IRAN and used the proceeds to fund an illegal war in Central America that defied an act of Congress. If you read Micheal Smith's Killer Elite North is also blamed for blocking rescue attempts for the 7 people taken hostage in Lebanon at the time. North didn't want a rescue attempt to screw up his deal with the Iranian's.

Admiral Poindexter fell on the sword to protect the President and said it never went above him. North didn't protect the President.

Thats a shit load of pull for a O5 LTC don't you think? Just sayin.

 

[Scotth]

Thats a shit load of pull for a O5 LTC don't you think? Just sayin.

I agree. I don't think it stopped at even North's bosses desk either. I don't think two military men go off reservation with out higher approval but Poindexter did what he had to do to save the POTUS and took responsibility.

 

[HOLLiS]

1) partisan Politics............. anything to shame Reagan
2) In the US, supporting Iran would be the political kiss of death for the politician not the country
3) allowing Iran to fall into the Soviet Sphere of influence would have grave military consequences in the region.
4) With the GC executing 30-50,000 leftest in Iran post civil war, The SU would give Saddam the go ahead.

Saddam was a lackey of the SU. He know with the seizing of the US embassy, Iran was alone. Iran would receive no support from the West and with SU backing Saddam had a easy victory. Again Saddam proved he was not a very good general or Cpt or butter bar when it came to leading his country.

The West supported Iran but had to do it, with the public knowing it.

BTW, KGB/Stasi was everywhere the CIA was, People tend to forget about the KGB global involvement.

So it boiled down to........... somebody had a job to do that was politically suicidal.

IN 1985, the US offered the hand of friendship to Iran. By then the Iranian were able to reverse Iraqi military gains and instead of thanking the West, told the West to piss off. Aid was stopped, the war lingered at a stand still for about another 3 years. About 1,000,000 lives lost.

Aftermath:
Pretty much establishing that the GC can never be trusted.
North is a fair game political target. For liberals he is a traitor and for conservatives he is a hero. IMHO, he just did his job.
People still think we supported Saddam
The SU is no more
Saddam is no more
Soviet sphere of influence is over.
New turds rise from the toilet bowl to try to replace Saddam, the SU and ???

 

[Scotth]

By all accounts I have read Iran/Contra had nothing to do with supporting Iran. Reagan had 2 goals driving this mess. 1. Was fighting communism and supporting the Contra in that process. 2. was getting the 7 hostage held in Lebanon back. They sold TOW and HAWK missles from Isreal's stockpiles to Iran in exchange for Iran using there influence to free the hostages. The problem was after the first couple shipments of missles the hostage takers released 3 hostages but 3 more people were kidnapped in the process. At that time Isreal feared Iraq more than Iran and happily joined in on the sale.

North wasn't a partisan issue. The issue is he broke the law in many ways. Namely they broke laws on arms shipments, on diverting public money, on funding an organization in direct contradiction of laws, failed to report there actions for congressional oversite and then shredded documents to cover up there illegal activity. The only reason North wasn't charge with a whole boat load of felonies and beat the charges he was convicted of on appeal was congress stupidily gave Poindexter and North immunity.

The Independent Councel Report:
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/

The one good thing North gave us was a hot secretary.

The good old days of big hair.:)

 

[HOLLiS]

The only reason North wasn't charge with a whole boat load of felonies and beat the charges on appeal was Congress stupidily gave Poindexter and North immunity.

........................

Congress is not that stupid...............