Iran Contra

conspiracy in dealings with Iran

Bruce Sterling history - There was an unmistakable Enron-style genius in routing charity money and Saudi Arabia-n profits through Israeli arms contractors to buy munitions for Nicaraguan counterrevolutionaries. John Poindexter, Oliver North, ElliotAbrams, Richard Secord, John Singlaub, Robert Mac Farlane, Adnan Khashoggi, Manucher Ghorbanifar: These legendary innovators created something truly new and brilliant - an offshore, autonomous, self-financing, global, anticommunist venture-capital outfit big enough to fight a private war against a sovereign nation... Considering the audacity of the scheme's challenge to Constitutional authority, its principals have done surprisingly well in the years since. Oliver North gave up his uniform to become what he always had been at heart: a Right-Wing political agitator. Elliot Abrams now manages Venezuelan revolution, counterrevolution, and counter-counterrevolution for the State Department. And, of course, John Poindexter is in charge of the Defense Department's Total Information Awareness program.

Apparently Colin Powell had some involvement, too, at least in lying to the US Congress.

George H W Bush pardoned 6 of them: Casper Weinberger, Elliott Abrams, Robert Mac Farlane, Alan Fiers, Clair George, Duane Clarridge.