"Charlie Wilson's War"

G. and I saw "Charlie Wilson's War" last night. It is about a Texas Congressman in the early 1980s (Tom Hanks) who uses his influence to covertly fund Afghan rebels fighting against Soviet domination of Afghanistan. It was pretty entertaining (I would even call it a comedy in part), and as I understand it, it is pretty close to accurate historically.

The movie also features Julia Roberts as a Texas socialite pressuring Hanks to do the right thing, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a CIA agent. While they eventually were able to fund the Afghan rebels, it has unforseen consequences, namely the rise of the Taliban and, as we all know now, the rise of Osama bin Laden.

I left fairly entertained, and it also made me think. Director Mike Nichols ("the Graduate") always makes thought-provoking films. Writer Aaron Sorkin ("A Few Good Men," "The West Wing,") is one of America's best writers, although he has a political agenda at times. To me, it is important to recognize that there are villains (in this movie, it is the Soviets who mine Afghanistan, resulting in children getting their arms blown off). Of course, the Taliban and the supporters of bin Laden are also our enemies. I think it is America's responsiblity to stand with our friends (e.g. Israel, other democracies) and fight tyrants and terrorists wherever they may be found.