Towards an October Surprise?

Upon hearing the release of a hostage last week, the White House was initially gripped with happiness. But the news also carries political risks for Vice President Bush as it could remind the voters of the disaster of the Iran Contra operation during which weapons were sold by the US to Tehran and the profits were used to fund rebels and political opponents in Nicaragua. ''Obviously, if you could get the hostages out in some clean, decent way, with no hint of an under-the-table deal, that would be good news for the President and for the Bush camp,'' said William Quandt, a former State Department official and Middle East expert. ''The problem is that any hint that you've done another Iran-contra kind of deal could be devastating. I suspect the White House is terribly sensitive about any charge that they're trying to plan their own October surprise to help Bush by getting the hostages out,'' Quandt said. Read full story