The Iran Contra Affair

I found it interesting that those who participated in the most deception in the Iran-Contra Affair stuck to their convictions that they were justified in lying. The fact that they didn't try to use more deception to hide their actions seemed somewhat admirable, and I really think they honestly believed that it was the best thing for the American people at the time, and that they had the best of intentions.

"Good intention" is an interesting concept, because functionally, it has no real impact on anything. Killing a man with the best of intentions is still wrong, both from a consequentialist standpoint and a deontological standpoint. However, the fact that North and Poindexter acted while (allegedly) earnestly believing that they were doing what was for the greater good somehow swayed my opinions of their actions. I empathized with them, and imagined that I would probably have acted similarly in their situation.

And now, I will confess my absurd addiction to the television show Alias. For those of you who don't know that much about the show, it's about a double agent in the C.I.A. who is posing as an agent for a terrorist organization. The agents in the show have access to information that is incredibly dangerous and must under all circumstances be kept hidden from everyone, even other government officials. The possibility of moles and leaks are very real on Alias! Anyway, yes, it's a television show, but reading about the Iran-Contra affair made me feel like North and Poindexter could have been on Alias, holding secret information and making the decision to hide that information from Congress and some of it from the President. Sensitive information like this must remain confidential, even if it means lying to officials. Dangerous information is like a virus that must be contained at almost all costs.

I'm not sure if I actually believe what I just wrote, but once I get in the mindset of spies and such it's hard to think like my normal self. I can definitely see this side of the argument, and understand how a person can justify such deception