--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal…" description: "\"Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because the elements of it that were illegal (aiding anti-communist Nicaraguans) were popular and the things th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg" --- # Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because the… ![“Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because the elements of it that were illegal (aiding anti-communist Nicaraguans) were popular and the things that were unpopular (arming the Iranians) were quite legal.” quote by David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg) > “Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because the elements of it that were illegal (aiding anti-communist Nicaraguans) were popular and the things that were unpopular (arming the Iranians) were quite legal.” [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The scandal persisted because illegal actions were politically popular, while legal actions were unpopular, showing how public sentiment can outweigh legality. **In simple terms:** Public support can shield illegal acts, while legal acts may be condemned if unpopular. Key Takeaway Recognize how perception can skew moral judgments. Themes politics ethics public opinion law media perception Mood cautious critical reflective Type analytical commentary political When to use this quote - campaign messaging - policy advocacy - media analysis - public relations - legislative debate Key Concepts moral relativism political strategy public sentiment Questions to Reflect On - How does public opinion shape legal accountability? - When should unpopular legal actions be defended? A Different Perspective Legal actions can still be condemned if they clash with public values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-communist/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Iran contra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran-contra/) [Scandal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scandal/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Even if corners were cut, (Iran-Contra) was a brilliant scheme. There is no possibility that anyone in any Democratic administration would have gone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/even-if-corners-were-cut-iran-contra-was-a-brilliant-scheme-there-is/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [We all know Reagan's legacy, from the Iran-Contra affair to the funding of the Nicaraguan military in which over 200,000 people died. The groundwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/we-all-know-reagan-s-legacy-from-the-iran-contra-affair-to-the/) [Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/) > [I remember having lunch with a friend who worked at the White House. I'd just graduated from law school but kept telling my friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-smith/i-remember-having-lunch-with-a-friend-who-worked-at-the-white-house-i/) [Judy Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-smith/) > [There exists a shadowy Government with its own Air Force, its own Navy, its own fundraising mechanism, and the ability to pursue its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-inouye/there-exists-a-shadowy-government-with-its-own-air-force-its-own-navy/) [Daniel Inouye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-inouye/) > [More of 'The Bourne Identity's script was taken from the events of the Iran Contra, which my father investigated for the Senate, than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/more-of-the-bourne-identity-s-script-was-taken-from-the-events-of-the/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [“It was like the Iran/Contra hearings in the last century; then, too, the investigators had looked just so far and no further.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/it-was-like-the-iran-contra-hearings-in-the-last-century-then-too-the/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“Mertins’s correspondence with Zhao Fei made clear that Merex had engaged in arms deals with China that flew in the face of US policy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-feinstein/mertins-s-correspondence-with-zhao-fei-made-clear-that-merex-had/) [Andrew Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-feinstein/) > [ There was no news in the Dan Rather piece. They didn't say \[to Bush\]: "We found a piece of paper that was overlooked in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/there-was-no-news-in-the-dan-rather-piece-they-didn-t-say-to-bush-we/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [I did not know many of the details relevant to the Iran and contra initiatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawn-hall/i-did-not-know-many-of-the-details-relevant-to-the-iran-and-contra/) [Fawn Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawn-hall/) > [Remember how he handled the Iran-contra Never Ending Scandal from Hell? He went on national television, the President of the United States, and said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/remember-how-he-handled-the-iran-contra-never-ending-scandal-from/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I came here to tell you the truth, the good, the bad and the ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-north/i-came-here-to-tell-you-the-truth-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/) [Oliver North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-north/) > [Like medieval theologians we had a philosophy that explained everything to us in advance, and everything that did not fit could be readily identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/like-medieval-theologians-we-had-a-philosophy-that-explained/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [It is in fact no exaggeration to say that we live in terror that Senator McCarthy will one day make some irreparable blunder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-in-fact-no-exaggeration-to-say-that-we-live-in-terror-that/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [I was an anti-communist before I was political in other ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/i-was-an-anti-communist-before-i-was-political-in-other-ways/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [I wasn't part of John Kennedy's vision of the world, or Lyndon Johnson's. I thought of them as anti-Communist imperial monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-wasn-t-part-of-john-kennedy-s-vision-of-the-world-or-lyndon-johnson/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) ## More by David Frum > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/i-always-believed-as-a-speechwriter-that-if-you-could-persuade-the/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [One of the things we're all going to have to discover, establishment is just an abusive term for institutions. It's institutions that keep us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/one-of-the-things-we-re-all-going-to-have-to-discover-establishment/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [One of the things that really has gone wrong in modern politics, one of the things that made Trump possible was that many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/one-of-the-things-that-really-has-gone-wrong-in-modern-politics-one/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [People who want to wage cultural wars ought to keep in mind that cultural views often don't move at all for a very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/people-who-want-to-wage-cultural-wars-ought-to-keep-in-mind-that/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [A generation ago, or two, when there were three channels, plus PBS, and when you needed - when you needed 15 million people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/a-generation-ago-or-two-when-there-were-three-channels-plus-pbs-and/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Trump is not just unlike a Republican, he's unlike a presidential candidate. The whole elaborate presidential process is designed to screen out people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/trump-is-not-just-unlike-a-republican-he-s-unlike-a-presidential/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [More Irishmen died fighting for Britain in World War I than died fighting against her in all of Ireland's bids for independence combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/more-irishmen-died-fighting-for-britain-in-world-war-i-than-died/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Donald Trump, as a businessman, he's not much of a builder and he's not much of dealmaker and he certainly isn't very good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/donald-trump-as-a-businessman-he-s-not-much-of-a-builder-and-he-s-not/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [The system we have is one that protects my rights under a president I don't approve. That tomorrow we'll do the same for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/the-system-we-have-is-one-that-protects-my-rights-under-a-president-i/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [ \[democrats\] hated Richard Nixon, and no wonder. It was Nixon who sent Alger Hiss to jail, and Nixon who waged the Vietnam War after… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/democrats-hated-richard-nixon-and-no-wonder-it-was-nixon-who-sent/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Crown Prince Rupprecht, the heir to the throne of Bavaria who commanded the army group facing the British at the Somme, was the senior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/crown-prince-rupprecht-the-heir-to-the-throne-of-bavaria-who/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Partly because of the desperate economic situation in the country, what were once the leading institutions of conservatism are constrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/partly-because-of-the-desperate-economic-situation-in-the-country/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [ \[In politics,\] when there is no reason to speak, there is a reason not to speak. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/in-politics-when-there-is-no-reason-to-speak-there-is-a-reason-not-to/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Look, the media are trapped by changes in the technology and business of their industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/look-the-media-are-trapped-by-changes-in-the-technology-and-business/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) [Explore all 130 David Frum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) ## More Anti communist quotes > [I wasn't part of John Kennedy's vision of the world, or Lyndon Johnson's. I thought of them as anti-Communist imperial monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-wasn-t-part-of-john-kennedy-s-vision-of-the-world-or-lyndon-johnson/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I was an anti-communist before I was political in other ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/i-was-an-anti-communist-before-i-was-political-in-other-ways/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [It is in fact no exaggeration to say that we live in terror that Senator McCarthy will one day make some irreparable blunder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-in-fact-no-exaggeration-to-say-that-we-live-in-terror-that/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [Like medieval theologians we had a philosophy that explained everything to us in advance, and everything that did not fit could be readily identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/like-medieval-theologians-we-had-a-philosophy-that-explained/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Nixon's genius was that he was able to portray himself as the toughest of the anti-communists, and yet run on a platform that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/nixon-s-genius-was-that-he-was-able-to-portray-himself-as-the/) [Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/) > [“It is impossible to be an anti-Communist and it is not possible to be a Communist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/it-is-impossible-to-be-an-anti-communist-and-it-is-not-possible-to-be/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [Tyler Kent was a horrible man. He was a rabid anti-communist who believed that the Jews had been behind the Russian Revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/tyler-kent-was-a-horrible-man-he-was-a-rabid-anti-communist-who/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [When I was younger, I thought of myself as a Nixon Republican because he was the anti-Communist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/when-i-was-younger-i-thought-of-myself-as-a-nixon-republican-because/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [I still am a virulent anti-communist. It is a bad system, an immoral system, and one that takes away the rights of people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/i-still-am-a-virulent-anti-communist-it-is-a-bad-system-an-immoral/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [Judging by their positions at the time, rather than their post hoc allegations, Democrats adored the Soviet Union. Congressional Democrats repeatedly opposed funding anti-Communist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/judging-by-their-positions-at-the-time-rather-than-their-post-hoc/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [In general, I distrust philosophy. Plato recommended chasing poets from the city; the 'great' Heidegger was a Nazi; Lukacs was a communist; and J.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-simon/in-general-i-distrust-philosophy-plato-recommended-chasing-poets-from/) [Claude Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-simon/) > [How do you tell a communist? Well, its someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? Its someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/how-do-you-tell-a-communist-well-its-someone-who-reads-marx-and-lenin/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Even if corners were cut, (Iran-Contra) was a brilliant scheme. There is no possibility that anyone in any Democratic administration would have gone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/even-if-corners-were-cut-iran-contra-was-a-brilliant-scheme-there-is/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Joseph McCarthy and the John Birch Society launched an anti-Communist crusade that won the support of millions of Americans in the 1950s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/joseph-mccarthy-and-the-john-birch-society-launched-an-anti-communist/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“America certainly did its part. But doing the sums, it is now clear that through the eight years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, 1981-89, Saudi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lacey/america-certainly-did-its-part-but-doing-the-sums-it-is-now-clear/) [Robert Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lacey/) [Browse all 18 Anti communist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-communist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because the elements of it that were illegal (aiding anti-communist Nicaraguans) were popular and the things that were unpopular (arming the Iranians) were quite legal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Frum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal-because-the-elements-of-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anti communist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal-because-the-elements-of-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/david-frum-3455_anti-communist_reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal_1227948.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because the elements of it that were illegal (aiding anti-communist…” — David Frum", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Frum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reagan survived the Iran-Contra scandal because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal-because-the-elements-of-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/reagan-survived-the-iran-contra-scandal-because-the-elements-of-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```