‘Short History of Epic Blunder’
McDougall blames the fall of the Shah of Iran on the Carter Administration’s pressure for a more benevolent dictatorship, something the shah’s victims would find bizarre. He then opines that President Carter “promptly bungled” the hostage situation, providing no clues as to what Carter should have done instead.
McDougall would do well to read Carter’s “Keeping Faith” as well as former press secretary Jody Powell’s “The Other Side of the Story,” which makes it clear that on Iran and most other issues the Carter Administration was misrepresented by the press and misunderstood by the public.
History will look at its enormous challenges and the little-known story of its impressive list of successes benevolently.
I wish the media would get beyond Irangate and take a look at the dark side of the current White House in other areas.
SCOTT S. SMITH
Thousand Oaks
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