I think you and a few others are missing the point and are falling for the Hollywood story-line.
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Jimmy Carter took action by boycotting the 1980 Olympics. Woooo, that was scary.
When Ronald Reagan won the presidency, he actually started helping the little countries fight against the Soviet invasion.
Stinger Missles would not have gone to the Mujhadeen, except for the approval of Ronald Reagan.
I have not watched the movie nor the History Channell special. From what I have seen of the previews, Charlie Wilson was a womanizer and a boozing Congressman who pushed the cause for arming the Mujhadeen AT THE BEHEST of a socialite named Joanne Herring(sp?).
Somehow, I fail to see how this makes the Dems look good. Wilson was a useful idiot. He was used to further the cause of fighting tyranny. For the most part, Democrats were lock-step OPPOSSED to helping the Mujhadeen.
Wilson comes off as a guy who would sell out his principles for a romp in the hay.
Don’t forget, that as/when the Soviets collapsed, the DEMOCRATS were crying loudly for a peace dividend and were the ones pushing for reduced military spending.
Charlie Wilson didn’t win the Cold War, Ronald Reagan did.
Charlie Wilson didn’t drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan, the Muhjadeen did with the very limited help of the United States.
Charlie Wilson didn’t send the Stingers to Afghanistan, the Reagan Administration did.
Democrats only win when they revise history.
I don't think so. I haven't seen the movie and I said so. I am also very capable of seeing beyond and through whatever spin is put on things.
Stinger Missles would not have gone to the Mujhadeen, except for the approval of Ronald Reagan.
Which was quite a while down the road after CW began intensely working on arming the Mujahadeen. His efforts paving the way for Ronald Reagan to put some of his political capital on the line.
Charlie Wilson was a womanizer and a boozing Congressman who pushed the cause for arming the Mujhadeen AT THE BEHEST of a socialite named Joanne Herring(sp?).
They made no bones about his partying in the HC special. Not CW or anyone else they interviewed. Joanne Herring, by her own testimony, said she got CW interested in helping them. They worked hand-in-hand to manipulate funding for the project and JH, a Texas socialite, had no other power at her disposal but to convince someone in Congress to take an interest.
Somehow, I fail to see how this makes the Dems look good. Wilson was a useful idiot. He was used to further the cause of fighting tyranny. For the most part, Democrats were lock-step OPPOSSED to helping the Mujhadeen.
I don't know how it makes the Dems look good either apart from CW and Doc Long. Wilson didn't have to have his arm twisted very hard. Once he saw who the Mujahadeen were and what they were up against he threw himself into helping them with all he had. By your definition Oliver North was a useful idiot for his part in Iran/Contra. ie he was presented with a challenge and an opportunity to fight the cold war in a very significant way and he rose to the challenge. We need more useful idiots like that.
Wilson comes off as a guy who would sell out his principles for a romp in the hay.
I don't know what his principles were. I didn't see any presented in the HC special. He seemed to have two burning desires other than women and booze (which he readily admitted to) and those were helping the Afghans and defeating the Soviets. He, Joanne Herring and the other woman all said their social abilities were their biggest tool and asset in moving the project forward both here and abroad. Apparently CW wasn't the only one interested in women and booze.
Charlie Wilson didn’t win the Cold War, Ronald Reagan did.
Not a single person in the HC special said otherwise. The book, the movie and the special were about Charlie Wilson not the Cold War, not Ronald Reagan and not anyone else at all.
Charlie Wilson didn’t drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan, the Muhjadeen did with the very limited help of the United States.
No one has said CW drove the Soviets out. The Mujahadeen were losing badly until they got Stinger missiles and knocked out over 100 Soviet aircraft in the first few weeks of getting them. Before that they were resigned to defeat and willing to die to the last man and that was where it was headed. Something I've accepted as true since 1989 so having never heard of CW until now I didn't get that perception from this.
Charlie Wilson didn’t send the Stingers to Afghanistan, the Reagan Administration did.
After CW had spent years promoting the arming of the Afghans and his little cell in the CIA had been pushing for Stingers for some time. Without CW's influence there would have been no one putting the plan on RRs desk. The rest of the CIA was against it. Doc Long, the one who supplied the funding for the covert operation that CW was promoting, did have to have his arm twisted pretty hard. If CW and his compatriots hadn't pushed Doc Long there would have been exactly zero people in the CIA working on arming the Mujahadeen with anything whatsoever.