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05-25-2005, 09:36 PM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Newburgh, NY
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READ THIS BOOK!
I've mentioned Charlie Wilson's War before, but now that school is over and I have been able to finish it, I wanted again to make a recommendation for this great book.
The story is completely true and recounts how a drunk, woman-chasing Democratic congressman from Texas and a foul-mouthed, racist, second generation Greek American CIA agent from Alquippa, Pennsylvania teamed with a very unlikely group of folks to turn Afghanistan into the last battle of the Cold War. The story is remarkable and would seem unlikely if it were fiction. Wilson gets Israelis to agree to build weapons for a Muslim Jihad, Avrakotos, the CIA agent, almost gets run out of the agency before getting a friend to appoint him to a position while the assistant director is on vacation, a socialite, John Birch Society loving woman gets to be an official ambassador for Pakistan and sells the Afghan cause to Wilson, and on and on. Its a great primer on the currentsituation in Afghanistan, but its also a great read, better than any Clancy book IMO. There are a lot of familiar characters fro mAfghan warlords to Richard Perle and Oliver North, who Avrakotos thought were idiots! What was most fascinating to me was that the Afghan program really grew from Wilson and not from the White House. The admin and most of Congress was focused on Nicaragua while Wilson and Avrakotos exploded the budget from 40 mil to over 1 billion and eventually forced the White House to officially declare that the goal was to defeat the Soviets. Its just a great book and I hope some of you will take the time to pick it up. Its in paperback now and relatively cheap. If you like military books, spy books, or history I think you'll really enjoy Charlie Wilson's War. |
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05-25-2005, 09:54 PM
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#2 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Minneapolis
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what's a book?
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05-25-2005, 11:02 PM
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#3 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Little Rock, AR
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What's a Democrat from Texas?
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05-26-2005, 01:57 AM
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#4 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
 SI
__________________
Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 05-26-2005 at 01:57 AM. |
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05-26-2005, 08:39 AM
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#5 | |
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College Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: A negative place
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Quote:
I've been meaning to pick this up as it sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for the recommendation. |
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05-26-2005, 09:32 AM
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#6 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Newburgh, NY
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LoneStar Girl: That's one of the things that's interesting. Wilson's type just doesn't exist in today's political climate. He was very liberal in terms of domestic policies. He believed passionately that government could make people's lives better. Internationally he was very hawkish and almost always voted in favor of Reagan's military increases. He was close friends with both Casper Wienberger and Tip O'neill.
Add to that he had a tast for alcohol, loved big-tittied women and almost always added a female companion to his visits to strict Muslim countries. A great anecdote from the book. Wilson always had his congressional office staffed with big-tittied beauties. When someone asked him why he always chose looks over skills he always replied, "You can teach them to type." |
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07-26-2005, 12:41 AM
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#7 |
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Torchbearer
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: On Lake Harriet
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I just finished reading this. Definitely an entertaining book. Thanks for the recommendation.
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