Politifact Tries to Retcon the Ending of the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis

From Powerline Blog via H/T at Ace of Spades HQ:

Reagan had absolutely nothing to do with it you see.

We flagged Rubio's comment as a misleading framing of history. Reagan's inauguration in 1981 may have coincided with the release of the hostages, but historians say it did not cause it. Instead, the Iranians had tired of holding the hostages, and that the administration of Jimmy Carter did the legwork to get the hostages released.

...It's a GOP talking point we've debunked before. In 2012, Republican candidate Mitt Romney said, "I believe the right course is what Ronald Reagan called peace through strength ... There's a reason why the Iranians released the hostages on the same day and at the same hour that Reagan was sworn in." We rated his claim Pants on Fire.

...Despite the showy announcement, scholars of the period say that Reagan did not play any significant role in freeing the hostages.

Well except for his very existence, his implied threats of military force against Iran, and his imminent control of the White House and the US military.

And Steven Hayward points out that even the Washington Post editorial page the day after the hostage release gave Reagan's reputation credit:

"Who doubts that among Iran's reasons for coming to terms now was a desire to beat [Reagan] to town?"