Ollie North vs. Osama Bin Laden and Al Gore

I just received the following forwarded e-mail:

Anyone remember this??
It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan Administration.
There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning!
He was being drilled by a senator; "Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?"
Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir."
The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience, "Isn't that just a little excessive?"
"No, sir," continued Ollie.
"No? And why not?" the senator asked.
"Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir."
"Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned.
"By a terrorist, sir" Ollie answered.
"Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?"
"His name is Osama bin Laden, sir" Ollie replied.
At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. Why are you so afraid of this man?" the senator asked.
"Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of", Ollie answered.
"And what do you recommend we do about him?" asked the senator.
"Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth."
The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that was shown of the clip.
By the way, that senator was Al Gore.

It took all of two minutes' research to find out this was fake, as described by Snopes, columnist Linda Chavez, and Ollie North himself.

However, that didn't stop it from being read on-air by a Mississippi radio station, repeated by the AnalogousMember, C-Cubed, and GAZM weblogs, and published more than 200 times on the Web and Usenet.

Isn't it great to live in the Information Age?

Politics · 2003/02/13 · 8 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

It was not Al Gore that was questioning Ollie North about the fence , durg trafficing with the Contras, it was John Kerry. Ollie North was the first to think it is okay to lie to congress!
What is happening is that there are Republicans that want him to run for President in the near future. Aye !!!!!!!!!!

#1 · ameia · 2007/04/22

Nope - this is more mis-information. Don't spread things around if you are not going to check them out thoroughly.

www.snopes.com

#2 · Steve · 2007/06/13

This whole story is urban legend!

More importantly, Mr. North never named Osama Bin Laden. He named, Abu Nidal! This story is just one big lie!! The facts are all wrong.

#3 · Bard · 2007/07/11

you can not get any republican to see past their nose.... this story makes the rounds ever election

#4 · visitor · 2007/08/06

It did not hapen in 1987 but North did warn Congress about OBL. Saw it myself, remember it vividly. Especially notable for Tom Biden's ridiculing North and repeating the words "Osama Bin Laden" in the same snide tone as one would say "Are you serious?". For some reason we are all supposed to forget about it now. There has been a mass erasure of evidence. Why? I don't know but it happened people. Pardon me if I trust my own eyes before snopes and the google memory hole.

#5 · FakCha · 2007/08/20

In 1987, Osama was doing exactally what Ollie North wanted him to do, fight the Soviets in Afganistan. North would not have called him a terrorists at this point.

#6 · Jim · 2007/09/14

All Democrats and liberals just need to go start a utopia some where in their fairy land. Whiny cry babies. It's all true it happend we all saw the video.

#7 · Adam · 2007/09/21

Ollie North's website has a response saying that it is not true.
I guess the liberals got to him too!

#8 · Mark · 2007/10/21