Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War is a movie based on the true story about a democrat from Texas who helped the Afghani's defeat the Soviet Empire in the 1980's. Charlie Wilson, played by Tom Hanks, was the main catalyst on the National Defense sub-committee which gave the Afghani's funding and weaponry to get the Soviets out of their country. His billionaire friend from Texas, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), was also shown in the movie as an influential pawn during the war, that fundraised money and awarenss for the Afghani cause.

The movie portrays these events as well as Charlie's personal life filled with alcohol, drugs and women. He was a socialite, feeding on fame and glamour while drowing in whiskey and hot-tubs. Because Charlie is a Democrat, the movie took an occasional and expected dig at Republicans, showing them to be stupid, unaware, and insensitive. Ronald Reagan is referred to in a comment by one of the actors as having little knowledge of the Afghan situation -- a thing hardly believable considering the fall of the entire Soviet Empire during his influential presidency. In addition the movie makes it clear that it was republicans on the Defense Committee that voted to withdraw the American troops from Afghanistan, leaving it vulnerable to the Saudi money that would facilitate the education in the country, based on anti-western sentiments.

Charlie Wilson's War is no doubt a product of Hollywood, highlighting bad language and naked body parts while at the same time remembering a good cause, that of the suffering plight of Afghani's. Charlie seemed to have had it all: beautiful women, money, fame and good will towards a victim nation. Moral of the story: anything is permissible, so long as every once in a while philanthropy shines through...