Casper Weinberger, Reagan's Defense Secretary, died today. And from the AP story you'd think he was a saint. In fact, Weinberger was one of the principles behind Iran-Contra, and was indicted for it until George Bush's dad pardoned him. The Republicans really have brought new meaning to the word "neo-con" - as in convict.
Let me remind you who Casper Weinberger REALLY was:
Walsh's team had discovered that Weinberger's handwritten notes disproved Bush's claim that he had been "out of the loop" and proved that Weinberger knew full well about $25 million in Saudi contributions to the contras, even as he told Congress in 1986 that the charge was "so outlandish as to be unworthy of comment."
According to Brosnahan, the trial would have shown that Weinberger knew as early as summer 1985 that President Ronald Reagan had personally authorized missile shipments to Iran in violation of the Arms Control Export Act, and that this potentially impeachable act was concealed by constructing a false record. "The August [1985] meeting [of Reagan's National Security Council] discussed having Israel send the missiles to Iran and replenishing them out of U.S. stocks," says Brosnahan. "Weinberger is responsible for all missiles. The secretary of defense is the guy."
