[Hoot Gibson]

The notion that Jimmy Carter deserves credit for securing the release of the Iranian hostages is one of the most ridiculous theories that I have ever read in this forum. It belongs in the Conspiracies forum but it is so far-fetched that it does not even qualify as a good conspiracy theory.

Democratic leaders of 1980 did not give Carter any credit for the release of the hostages. However, they did unsuccessfully try to pin the blame Reagan and Bush for delaying the release of the hostages. A Democratically controlled Congress even had committees investigate allegations that George H. W. Bush secretly negotiated with the Iranians to delay the hostages' release. The investigations cleared Bush and Reagan and found no credible evidence to support the allegations.

As to why the Iranians would have feared Reagan, the answer is simple. Democrats attempted, with some success, to portray Reagan as a trigger happy cowboy who would be too eager to drag this country into war if he was elected. The Iranians believed Reagan's tough campaign rhetoric, ironically, because Democrats repeatedly claimed that he would engage in a shoot-first cowboy diplomacy.

Also, the hatred of Carter by Iranians was very personal. Carter's decision to grant refuge to the former Shah of Iran for medical treatment (the correct decision, IMO), infuriated the Iranian revolutionaries and precipitated the taking of hostages. The Iranians wanted to humiliate Carter for as long as possible. The change in leadership in the US gave Iranians a chance to release the hostages and save face, while denying Carter any credit for the release.