Something else Ollie gave us: Sean Hannity. Thomas Frank, in his new book What's the Matter With Kansas?, quotes Hannity as writing,
These hearings had a profound effect on my life. I found myself getting furious at the sight of congressmen and senators excoriating a dedicated patriot like Ollie. I was so riveted by the Iran-Contra hearings that I wouldn't go to work. I'd stay home and watch the hearings all day. I even taped them so I could watch them over gain .... The more I watched and listened, the angrier I got. And in my search to express my views -- to hear a different viewpoint on the subject from what was available on TV -- I began calling in to radio talk shows to defend Ollie and beat up on the sanctimonious congressmen and senators... And somewhere along the way, I found my calling in life.
This passage is more telling than the author probably intends. It illustrates the strange hero-worship to which so many on the Right are drawn. Hannity had never met North, but somehow thought it would be a good idea to neglect his job and do a bit of freelance propagandizing for the man. Reminds me of those Bush voters who are absolutely convinced of their candidate's Christian good character, despite such episodes as his mocking of Karla Faye Tucker, his calling NY Times reporter Adam Clymer a "major league a--hole," his snippy reply to a Spanish reporter who corrected his feeble Spanish, and his reputation as a general bully and lout during his father's re-election campaign.
