1987: George H.W. Bush on Reagan's secret military operation that erupted into a national scandal.

The Pentagon's scrutiny over its targeting of suspected drug boats echoes another crisis from decades ago when a secret military operation erupted into a national scandal. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran, hoping to free American hostages held by Hezbollah and diverted the profits to fund the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua. Despite a congressional ban, the Iran Contra affair quickly grew into a major political crisis for the Reagan White House.Vice President George HW ...