Reagan and the Iran-Contra Affair The Politics of Presidential Recovery

The Iran-Contra affair proved to be the death knell for the Teflon Presidency of Ronald Reagan. Not only did the President suffer politically, his popular standing also plummeted as details of controversial covert operations in the Middle East and Central America trickled out in 1986 and 1987. This text examines the effort of the Reagan administration to recover its standing in the twelve months following the initial exposure of Iran-Contra. The President, faced by adverse political conditions, had to concoct a plan to establish renewed political credibility in the eyes of the public and his political opponents. This proved to be a difficult, dramatic and eventful process, demonstrating the corrosive impact of scandal politics in modern America and highlighting the aftermath period of scandal as significant in the development of the modern presidency.