Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan!

[Scooter]

Like him or not, he served our Country as Commander and Chief, so let's honor him on his 93rd Birthday.

[singpilot]

Kinda wish Marilyn had gotten to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him too.

I understand a bunch of records.... oldest living prez. Longest living after being prez. Fox news was listing them this morning.

Happy Birthday Ronnie.

[vash]

how's the man's health?

[lendaddy]

A personal hero of mine. Was going to name my child Reagan if it was a girl, no I'm not kidding. Long live the Gipper.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by singpilot
Kinda wish Marilyn had gotten to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him too.

I understand a bunch of records.... oldest living prez. Longest living after being prez. Fox news was listing them this morning.

Happy Birthday Ronnie.

His son, the talk show host once told a funny one...a just entering puberty early teen years at the time. Doorbell rang. Dad Ronald told the kid to answer it. He did...Marilyn Monroe was standing there. Poor kid was too tongue tied to respond when she asked if his dad was home....

[vash]

funny thing, in today's society, marilyn monroe would have been considered "big boned" and not been the sex symbol she is. i personally think she is hot.

[singpilot]

I lost my father to Alzheimers last year. This vibrant, active, full of life man spent the last 7 years of his life wasting away. The mind slowly receded into a veiled world of closed perceptions. He became a child for a while, but would wake up every once in a while almost functional, with some of his memories (old ones) and would impress all of us with the clarity of those memories. Then hours later would sink again into blank stares, and non-recognition. He eventually succumbed to the lack of will to live.

Nancy Reagan sheilds us from him because she wants us all to remember Ron as the man he was, not what he has become.

There was video today of him entering church recently, and asking the nurse that was leading him to church "Who are all those people", looking confused, referring to the press and cameras.

I for one, prefer to remember the President of the United States as that.

[vash]

i cant remember my history that well. but how long after reagan taking office were the hostages released? i remember carter making an attempt that failed.

[rcecale]

Unfixed,

The realease of the hostages occured on the very same day Reagan was first inaugurated, January 20, 1981. Coincidence? I think not!

Long live the Gipper!!!

Randy

[speeder]

Definitely not a coincidence, Randy. In fact, it has been widely credited since to a really dirty political trick played by incoming VP and ex-CIA director George Bush. Through his spook channels in Iran, he convinced the Ayatolla that the incoming Reagan administration would be much more favorable to Iran than Carter had been, and to hold off on releasing the hostages until Reagan's inauguration. Iran was reportedly ready and willing to release them sooner. My hat is off to team Reagan on that one, truly one of the finest examples of political theatre that I have ever witnessed. Republicans love this kind of slop, landing on aircraft carriers, talking tough, (GRRRRRR!), etc.......

I know that Reagan is a GOP icon, and my heart goes out to him due to his medical condition and age, but make no mistake about it. His was the most corrupt administration ever, if you use the yardstick of *number of criminal convictions* of senior cabinet members and staff. Reagan: 29 vs. Clinton 1. Even his Attorney General had to do the "perp walk".

[lendaddy]

Oh man, I better not. Have a great weekend. I will just throw in that is was also widely reported that Clinton had several people killed over the years. I don't believe rumors myself.

[vash]

lendaddy, i double dog dare you.

[jrdavid68]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Oh man, I better not.

I think you should.

[Moses]

Originally posted by speeder
Definitely not a coincidence, Randy. In fact, it has been widely credited since to a really dirty political trick played by incoming VP and ex-CIA director George Bush. Through his spook channels in Iran, he convinced the Ayatolla that the incoming Reagan administration would be much more favorable to Iran than Carter had been, and to hold off on releasing the hostages until Reagan's inauguration. Iran was reportedly ready and willing to release them sooner...

Reagan favorable to Iran? Who has the Alzheimers? You must not remember the campaign. Much of the east coast press painted Reagan a a super-aggressive hawk and predicted that his first act as President, if elected, would be to invade Iran. Publicly, Reagan would not deny such intent. Khomeini decided that releasing the hostages was more practical than being invaded.

[dd74]

What Moses said, but as I recall, Reagan publicly stated during the elections that he would destroy Iran the moment he took office, and that was what really sent Jimmy packing. I don't doubt he would have, either. The Iranians simply got scared and let the hostages go.

I don't recall word of any secret dealings; I don't know if there could have been, because if there was such a deal between Regan's people and the Iranians, that would entail two things for it to work out: 1) "unofficial" communication with the Iranians; and 2) assurance that Reagan would win the election. How could he have known with such assurance that he would win? Voter tampering, possibly?

And even so, an incoming administration can't offer conditions like that, can it? It's more or less not official (the administration), even though the election has been won.

[speeder]

Lendaddy, The 29 criminal convictions of Reagan cabinet members and aides is not a "rumor", like the "black helicopter/tin foil hat Clinton murders".

So go right ahead, hit me w/ your best shot.

And David, you don't believe that the U.S. CIA had behind the scenes communications w/ Iran??

And voter tampering?? WTF are you talking about? These dealings occured after Reagan won and before he took office. He had already won. And the sources of this info are a whole lot better than the Clinton "murder" people.

[lendaddy]

Like I said I don't believe the rumors. Much like your George Bush senior flying to Iran in a military jet to negotiate the "unrelease" of hostages. Sounds like you don't need much proof to smear an R but defend the D's to the death. I mean the way you threw out out there as if it were gospel is hillarious. I am guesing your a DU member right? As much as I detest Clinton I realise how these rumors start. Much like Clintons bombing of the asprin factory the day before the Lewinski hearings. Someone could have a field day with that one. The hatred for Reagan by the left was something I thought I would never see again, but GWB is coming close. I mean a Hollywood politician is supposed to be a liberal and the next favorite son was gonna be a Kennedy right? I think thats what gets you guys the most. FWIW JFK would puke if he saw modern day democrats. Like I said have a good evening.

AFWIW the Iran Contra affair was the issue they all went down for and I doubt you understand what that was all about.

[dd74]

Originally posted by speeder
And David, you don't believe that the U.S. CIA had behind the scenes communications w/ Iran??

And voter tampering?? WTF are you talking about? These dealings occured after Reagan won and before he took office. He had already won. And the sources of this info are a whole lot better than the Clinton "murder" people.

I'm not saying the CIA did not contact Iran, but they could not have with Reagan in tow.

What you suggest is that Reagan knew he was going to win before he actually won. How's that possible? That's WTF I'm talking about.

If you have any "sources," then come up with some time frames supporting such. Otherwise, voter tampering (a long shot in any regard) is all I can come up with what you're saying. He won - sure he won. But they were released on or around Jan. 20th, when he was "officially" president. His cabinet, if he had one fully assembled between Nov. and Jan. had no power to officially talk to anyone. Carter was still president in Nov through to Jan. 19th.

So, back at you, and with two

[singpilot]

The simple fact of the matter was that the Iranians would never have released the hostages to the Carter Administration.

No matter what.

The ultimate Iranian f*** you was to release them to the new (anybody but Carter) administration without so much as a whimper.

Sometimes the simplest answer is the simplest. This time it was.

[speeder]

David, Reagan was elected in Nov. 1980 and took office on Jan. 20th, 1981. That is the time frame of the (alleged) secret dealings. Clear enough?

And Singpilot, you may very well be right. That is certainly the impression that the world got, (including me), at the time. If these people were held for one extra minute for political purposes or just to embarrass or discredit Carter, that would be deplorable, don't you agree? And BTW, this is not inconsistent w/ the other theory put forth here. They could have very well been afraid of Reagan invading and still have been coerced or persuaded into waiting until Jan. 20th to release them. Of course there is the other scenario, that they just wanted to make Reagan look good to his supporters.

And Lendaddy, now I better not. OK, just a little. First of all, I have never heard that Bush flew to Iran secretly(??) That certainly would not have been neccesary or believable.

And as for the claim that all of the convictions in the Reagan administration were related to Iran/contra, I don't believe that is true. In fact, I cannot even remember what AG Edwin Meese went down for, it's been awhile. All I do know is that the Reagan administration's record for corruption and criminal convictions will hopefully never be broken. No one else has ever come close, thank goodness.

And as for my knowledge of what Iran/contra was "all about", it's pretty simple. The administration, through very few layers of "plausible deniability" was running a secret war in Latin America. In violation of congressional order, (a crystal clear breach of the Constitution), they were selling arms to Iran and funnelling the proceeds to the Nicarauguan Contras. Just trying to illegally overturn a legitimately elected government in another country in order to install a right-wing one in it's place, no big deal.

Was I in on the secret meetings regarding this scandal? No. Did members of my family personally know individuals, including Nuns, who were killed, raped and tortured by U.S. financed death squads in Central America? Yes, sadly we did. My first trip to the region was in 1972. And you? Please illuminate us all w/ your knowledge of what Iran/contra was really "all about". Or STFU. Have a nice weekend.