Waging the Battle of 1992 in the House

By Janice Castro

! Remember the October Surprise? Allegations that the Reagan campaign committee secretly negotiated with the Iranians back in 1980, trading future concessions for a delay in releasing U.S. hostages until after the election, are about to get a second wind at a most inconvenient time for President Bush. In some of the most vicious political infighting in years, House Democrats are moving, against all-out Republican opposition, to fund an investigation to be headed by Indiana's Lee Hamilton. President Bush reportedly attended a meeting of House Republicans last week in which opposition strategy was discussed. A floor battle and vote are expected this week. Meanwhile, Senate leader George Mitchell is planning his own inquiry.

With reporting by Wendy Cole