billy.pilgrim wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2017 11:52 am
I never watched it. figured it to be more bs that would miss the point that it was us teaching and sponsoring terrorism against the soviets that lead directly to 9.11 and pretty much all that has happened in the ME since
Isn't pretty much everything we did in Afghanistan terrorism?
I did almost watch because Hanks is in it. Am I wrong?
It's worth watching. Especially for Avrakotos's brutal honesty.
The lesson was a bit different: Once the Russians pulled out, Wilson and Avrakotos were unable to stop the US government from abandoning the Afghans. (There was an interesting mention of how there was only a tiny percentage of the male population still alive over the age of 14. And with little chance of getting an education.) "These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the endgame."
Some quotes:
Gust Avrakotos: Until the phone rang this morning Charlie, I did not know I never heard of you.
Charlie Wilson: Well, ask around.
Gust Avrakotos: I did.
Charlie Wilson: What'd you find out?
Gust Avrakotos: That your greatest legislative achievement in six terms, is getting reelected five times.
Charlie Wilson: Anything else?
Gust Avrakotos: That you hold more IOU's than any member of the House.
---
Joanne Herring: Why is Congress saying one thing and doing nothing?
Charlie Wilson: Well, tradition mostly.
---
Charlie Wilson: You're no James Bond.
Gust Avrakotos: You're no Thomas Jefferson, either. Let's call it even.
---
Charlie Wilson: You know you've reached rock bottom when you're told you have character flaws by a man who hanged his predecessor in a military coup.
---
Joanne Herring: May I ask what it is that I've done to make you dislike me, Mr. Avrakotos?
Gust Avrakotos: I like you just fine, Mrs. Herring, it's just been my experience that when people with money and too much free time get involved in politics, pretty soon, I forget who it is I'm supposed to be shooting at.
---
Zvi (Israeli intelligence agent, whom Avrakotos is trying to convince to cooperate with Saudi Arabia): ...everyone who has ever tried to kill me or my family has been trained in Saudi Arabia!
Gust Avrakotos: That's not true, Zvi. Some of them were trained by us.
(Zvi's eyes bug out)
---
Charlie's Angel #4: The Washington Post wants to know what you thought of your time in rehab.
Charlie Wilson: And what did you tell them?
Charlie's Angel #4: That the Congressman didn't go to rehab because they don't serve whiskey there.
---
Charlie Wilson: What's the gift for?
Gust Avrakotos: It's from the Afghan desk for doubling the budget for the Mujahadeen.
Charlie Wilson: Well, thank you.
Gust Avrakotos: It was nothing.
Charlie Wilson: It's a nice bottle of scotch. Must have been hard to get.
Gust Avrakotos: No, doubling the budget was nothing. Ten million dollars for covert ops against the Russian army is meaningless. What are you, an infant?
---
Charlie Wilson: First off, I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw my name around quite so much, because from time to time I use it myself, and I need it in good condition.
---
Charlie Wilson: I stood in Harold Holt's office in Islamabad, and I offered him the keys to the safe. I said to him, "What do you need?" And I was apparently annoying him.
Gust Avrakotos: Well, that's because Harold Holt is a tool. He's a cake-eater, he's a clown, he's a bad station chief, and I don't like to cast aspersions on a guy, but he's going to get us all killed.
---
Charlie Wilson: This thing is going to get done by the CIA and it's going to get done quietly.
President Zia: You have authority to do this?
Charlie Wilson: [shrugging] None what so ever.
---
President Zia: Do you have the authority to do this?
Charlie Wilson: No, I'm actually in danger of breaking the Logan Act.
President Zia: ...I don't know what that is.
---
Gust Avrakotos: As long as the press sees sex and drugs behind the left hand, you can park a battle carrier behind the right hand and no one's gonna fucking notice.