For the Record

So what did the prolonged Iran-Contra hearings prove? Some unexpected —and, to congressional Democrats, unsettling—results, such as Los Angeles Times poll that showed 43 per cent of Americans blamed Congress for the fiasco; only 30 per cent blamed Ronald Reagan. . . . And the Washington Post/ABC News poll that found 66 per cent of Americans to be “only somewhat/hardly at all/not at all bothered,” even if Reagan himself okayed the transfer of funds to the Contras. . . . Mary McGrory was disappointed with Congress. “Congress has been lied to, berated, patronized, needled, baited, and, in the case of Lt. Col. Oliver North, mugged by witnesses, [despite which] Congress, like a battered wife, will take back the abusive husband [Ronald Reagan].” . . . Congressman Newt Gingrich was delighted: “The country, for the first time in my lifetime, saw the left wing of Congress face to face.” . . . On a Midwestern tour during the last week of hearings, Washington Post political reporter David Broder found the three-monthlong hearings “have faded as a topic of conversation.” . . . Inside the Belt-way, the big discussion turned on who showed up well and who screwed up on the panel. Washington Post interviews showed Democratic political consultant Robert Squier and Republican political consultant Roger Stone agreeing that Sen. George Mitchell (D., Me.) improved his reputation. Stone liked performance of Congressman Henry Hyde (R., Ill.): “He was feisty, he was combative, and he was articulate.” According to Stone, Sen. Warren Rudman (R., N.H.) hurt himself. “He was so busy grasping for the memorable phrase and playing the prosecutor that he forgot about his constituents at home.” . . . Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said House chairman Lee Hamilton (D., Ind.) “imparted a moral quality to the proceedings.” . . . Sen. William Cohen (R., Me.) made a strong impression on historian Forrest McDonald (University of Alabama), but, McDonald confessed, “to tell you the truth, I’ve forgotten what it was.”

Oliver North has proved a bonanza for conservative fundraisers. National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC) says its response rate has improved 200 per cent with a letter that refers to North 11 times in 14 paragraphs. . . . Republican National Committee Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf says a mailing that praises North has done exceptionally well. Before North, says Fahrenkopf, many people didn’t know “a Sandinista from a Contra.” . . . North’s own legal assistance fund has brought in $1.4 million. . . . Richard Cheney, chairman of the Republican Conference in the House, is sending out kits with Oliver North’s slide presentation on Nicaragua to drum up support for Contras. . . . But Pravda newsman Tomas Kolesnichenko is not fooled. “The outburst of unbridled chauvinism that is currently shaking America is no accident. At one time [America’s] hero was Lt. Calley—do you remember the mass shooting at Mylai? Now Oliver North is on the pedestal.”

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So what did the prolonged Iran-Contra hearings prove? Some unexpected —and, to congressional Democrats, unsettling—results, such as Los Angeles Times poll that showed 43 per cent of Americans blamed Congress for the fiasco; only 30 per cent blamed Ronald Reagan. . . . And the Washington Post/ABC News poll that found 66 per cent of Americans to be “only somewhat/hardly at all/not at all bothered,” even if Reagan himself okayed the transfer of funds to the Contras. . . . Mary McGrory was disappointed with Congress. “Congress has been lied to, berated, patronized, needled, baited, and, in the case of Lt. Col. Oliver North, mugged by witnesses, [despite which] Congress, like a battered wife, will take back the abusive husband [Ronald Reagan].” . . . Congressman Newt Gingrich was delighted: “The country, for the first time in my lifetime, saw the left wing of Congress face to face.” . . . On a Midwestern tour during the last week of hearings, Washington Post political reporter David Broder found the three-monthlong hearings “have faded as a topic of conversation.” . . . Inside the Belt-way, the big discussion turned on who showed up well and who screwed up on the panel. Washington Post interviews showed Democratic political consultant Robert Squier and Republican political consultant Roger Stone agreeing that Sen. George Mitchell (D., Me.) improved his reputation. Stone liked performance of Congressman Henry Hyde (R., Ill.): “He was feisty, he was combative, and he was articulate.” According to Stone, Sen. Warren Rudman (R., N.H.) hurt himself. “He was so busy grasping for the memorable phrase and playing the prosecutor that he forgot about his constituents at home.” . . . Arthur Schlesinger Jr. said House chairman Lee Hamilton (D., Ind.) “imparted a moral quality to the proceedings.” . . . Sen. William Cohen (R., Me.) made a strong impression on historian Forrest McDonald (University of Alabama), but, McDonald confessed, “to tell you the truth, I’ve forgotten what it was.”

Oliver North has proved a bonanza for conservative fundraisers. National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC) says its response rate has improved 200 per cent with a letter that refers to North 11 times in 14 paragraphs. . . . Republican National Committee Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf says a mailing that praises North has done exceptionally well. Before North, says Fahrenkopf, many people didn’t know “a Sandinista from a Contra.” . . . North’s own legal assistance fund has brought in $1.4 million. . . . Richard Cheney, chairman of the Republican Conference in the House, is sending out kits with Oliver North’s slide presentation on Nicaragua to drum up support for Contras. . . . But Pravda newsman Tomas Kolesnichenko is not fooled. “The outburst of unbridled chauvinism that is currently shaking America is no accident. At one time [America’s] hero was Lt. Calley—do you remember the mass shooting at Mylai? Now Oliver North is on the pedestal.”