McCain, in glass house, hurls stone...
Barack Obama has his William Ayers connection. Now John McCain may
have an Iran-Contra connection. In the 1980s, McCain served on the
advisory board to the U.S. chapter of an international group linked
to ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America.
The U.S. Council for World Freedom aided rebels trying to overthrow
the leftist government of Nicaragua. That landed the group in the
middle of the Iran-Contra affair and in legal trouble with the
Internal Revenue Service, which revoked the charitable organization's
tax exemption.
The council created by retired Army Maj. Gen. John Singlaub was the
U.S. chapter of the World Anti-Communist League, an international
organization linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing
death squads in Central America. After setting up the U.S. council,
Singlaub served as the international league's chairman.
McCain's tie to Singlaub's council is undergoing renewed scrutiny
after his campaign criticized Obama for his link to Ayers, a former
radical who engaged in violent acts 40 years ago. Over the weekend,
Democratic operative Paul Begala said on ABC's "This Week" that this
"guilt by association" tactic could backfire on the McCain campaign
by renewing discussion of McCain's service on the board of the U.S.
Council for World Freedom, "an ultraconservative right-wing group."
In two interviews with The Associated Press in August and September,
Singlaub said McCain became associated with the organization in the
early 1980s as McCain launched his political career. McCain was
elected to the U.S. House in 1982.
Singlaub said McCain was a supporter but not an active member.
"McCain was a new guy on the block learning the ropes," Singlaub
said. "I think I met him in the Washington area when he was just a
new congressman. We had McCain on the board to make him feel like he
wasn't left out. It looks good to have names on a letterhead who are
well-known and appreciated. (...)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/07/politics/main4505539.shtml
