Former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson Dead

theindychannel.com ^ | 02/10/2010

[BykrBayb]

Sad news. Prayers up.

[JasonC]

They are toast.

[angelcindy]

thats 2 now

[Ranger Drew]

He was a sorry congressman...unfortuneately, mine.

He was my congressman too. Nominated me for the Unites States Naval Academy back in 77. I don't have any bad memories of him.

[ronniesgal]

I hated that movie.
I kept argueing with my husband that they were DEMOCRATS, there fore, I did not believe the story!

[afraidfortherepublic]

Joanne Herring (the real one) at the Hollywood premiere of Charlie Wilson's War. Her role was played by Julia Roberts in the movie.

The real Joanne King Herring was a Houston socialite and talk show host in the 1970s. She was the one who wanted Charlie Wilson to intervene in the war and she used her feminine wiles to get him to do it. She also intervened in the making of the movie and had all the swear words taken out because (as she said) none of my friends would believe this movie if it showed me swearing. (Of course, she didn't seem to mind that they showed her sleeping with a man, not her husband, to get her way in DC.)

I wonder if she will attend the funeral?

[Never on my watch]

In the movie, and it would seem to ring true in real life, that Wilson gained Murtha’s support for his Afgan project by helping Murtha overcome his ethics investigation.

[James C. Bennett]

I sincerely hope you are right.

As far as I can see it, they have spread their tentacles all over the globe, and its effects are everywhere, to witness.

[lainie]

was seduced by a very wealthy conservative female who convinced him to support aid to the Afghan Mujaheddin

Ew, would that be the Julia Roberts character? In the Aaron Sorkin-penned movie? (didn't see it.)

[Wuli]

The policy blunder with respect to the support for the anti-Soviet forces in Afghanistan (of which Charlie Wilson was their American champion) was not that support itself.

It was:

(a)allowing the Pakistani ISI to run things;

(b)getting in bed with the Saudis on the whole thing;

(c)ignoring the state of things when it was all over; pretending that there was an organized state and local means left to put together such a state, without international assistance, after the war with the Soviets nearly destroyed everything, and after the role of the Pakistani’s, their ISI and the Saudi sponsored forces left no non-Pashtun Afghan’s trusting anyone but their own leaders.

The mistake was not the aid. The mistake was not fully owning it ourselves and not owning any responsibility for the aftermath.

[etcb]

It is ironic that John Murtha died a few days before Charlie Wilson, the man who saved him in the Abscam scandal. Congressman Wilson was a perfect example of the old time Texas politician.

[American Quilter]

May God bless him and comfort his family in their grief. He was a patriot and a man of action who loved America and didn’t just talk the talk.

[vetvetdoug]

RIP Charlie. He was responsible for my success back in the early to middle 1980’s. I had to bleed and vaccinate mules that were being sent to Afghanistan for the Mujaheddin to use when they were fighting the Ruskies. The US sent thousands of mules carried by the Tennessee Air National Guard to Afghanistan.

[lonestar]

I don't have any bad memories of him.

You were too young to know better. :)

[Old Grumpy]

“Ew, would that be the Julia Roberts character?”

Yes, and her southern accent left a lot to be desired.

[JRochelle]

First Murtha and now another?

Good grief, who could be next?

Henry Nostrilitis?

A girl can dream....

[Williams]

He was a good guy in many ways, certainly because he pushed defeating the Russians in Afghanistan. The liberal who wrote the book made it a bit of a myth, as though Reagan and all the conservatives were kooks, but only Charlie Wilson won the war.

But reading between the lines it’s pretty clear the democrats had eviscerated the CIA under Carter, and Wilson had to fight his fellow democrats every step of the way to get them to oppose the Russians.

[SueRae]

RIP Congressran Wilson. A good man. My kind of Democrat. Prayers to his family.

[MindBender26]

Back in my crusading network reporter days, Charlie Wilson could could score with women on the Hill by walking up to gorgeous staffers or even tourists, point to an empty coat closet and say “Hi, I'm Congressman Charlie Wilson...... In here?”

He made Clinton look like an amateur.

[SueRae]

Well said. We could use more Charlie Wilsons on the other side of the aisle..