Thirty years ago this week, James Earl Carter went before the nation to give a speech that would mark the beginning of the end of his presidency. The night before his speech, Carter gave the "green light" to the Iranian hostage rescue mission--Eagle Claw--that ended in disaster at Desert One. Eight U.S. servicemen died at the site and had to be left behind. At the time, it was by far the worst humiliation the U.S. had ever suffered, and it cost Carter his reelection bid later that year. Ronald Reagan won in a landslide. An investigation into Operation Eagle Claw...