Former Texas congressman Charlie Wilson, the principal supporter of US involvement with anti-Soviet forces in Afghanistan, died on Wednesday of this week (10 Feb 2010). He was very much the endearing rascal that American voters seem to adore. His exploits in southcentral Asia were recently chronicled in the underappreciated movie “Charlie Wilson’s War.”
In the 1980s, Wilson used his seat on the military appropriations subcommittee to secure major US backing (much of it covert) for the mujahideen forces which were important participants in the war to drive Soviet troops out of Afghanistan. Pakistani president Zia ul-Haq, who had allowed the CIA to military supplies through his country, credited Wilson with the defeat.
During his 24 year in Washington, Wilson was known as ‘Good Time Charlie’, a scotch-drinking, womanizing pol (He was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2007 movie.). The movie was based on a 2003 book by former 60 Minutes producer George Crile. I’m not sure why, but the movie bombed at the box office. For me, it was an enjoyable flic, and had some great comedic moments. Generally, I’m not impressed by the work of major directors and actors, but this one is a minor masterpiece. I highly recommend the DVD. Luckily Wilson lived long enough to see it.
While Charlie’s war was a short-term success, the victory in Afghanistan left a power vacuum that was later filled by the Taliban, many of whom were heavily armed with weapons procured by Wilson and provided by the CIA. In hindsight, the war had very obvious unintended consequences.
To the public, Wilson appeared a political lightweight and benchwarmer, rarely speaking on the floor of the House. He generally stayed out of the major policy battles of the day. But from behind closed doors, he was able to significantly alter the course of world history. It is fascinating to mull over the influence that one obsessed Congressman can wield.
The following obit written by Karen Tumulty appeared in Time Magazine (22 Feb 2010, p 16):
“The fact that Charlie Wilson’s heart–his second–finally gave out wasn’t all that surprising when you consider how he lived. Wilson, a former Texas Congressman, who died Feb 10 at 76, was the kind of man who would declare on ’60 Minutes,’ “I love stickin it to the Russians.” The kind of man who would bring his then girlfriend, a former Miss World USA, on a fact-finding trip to Pakistan. The kind of man, his House colleagues used to say, who could strut while sitting down. Still, he was elected 12 times from Lufkin, Texas–a town so conservative that it didn’t vote to allow alcohol sales until 2006. Even those who disagreed with Wilson couldn’t help but like him: the liberal columnist Molly Ivins wrote admiringly that he hadn’t “an ounce of hypocrisy.” ‘Charlie Wilson’s War,’ the 2007 movie about his work as the chief backer of the Afghan mujahedin who fought against the Soviets, opened with Tom Hanks, playing Wilson, in a hot tub with two showgirls–just as Wilson had specified in a 1990 interview. It’s just as well they stuck to his wishes; nobody could have made up a character like Charlie Wilson.”