Charlie Wilson, a 12 term Congressman (D) from Texas and former United States naval officer, passed away yesterday at 76.I bought the movie 'Charlie Wilson's War' when my local Blockbuster was going out of business, but haven't gotten around to watching it yet... Though I know the general gist of what Representative Wilson was known for.
From Wiki:
"...He was best known for leading Congress into supporting Operation Cyclone, the largest-ever CIA covert operation, which supplied military equipment, including anti-aircraft weapons such as Stinger antiaircraft missiles, and paramilitary officers from their Special Activities Division to the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. His behind-the-scenes campaign was the subject of the non-fiction book Charlie Wilson's War and a subsequent film adaptation..." (source)
Hollywood liked him enough to make a film and some libs on FB were lamenting his passing yesterday, but for the life of me I can't figure out what he did differently than Ollie North with the Contras. Funding a resistance group with government funds and Wilson is heralded and North demonized? Am I missing some major component of the story?
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