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Charlie Wilson

The Congressman has died.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/politics/11wilson.html?hpw

I remember reading recently about him in Colin Powell's autobiography.

Powell narrates an incident where the famously playboy Congressman wanted permission from Powell/Pentagon to take along his girlfriend with him to Afghanistan on an official military aircraft. Powell would have none of it.

When the Congressman reminded Powell that he might need him to pass legislation, Powell just asked the Congressman to use his best judgment and told him that he was just trying to do the best he could.

The military aid that the Congressman so heroically arranged for the Mujaheddin of course had some unintended consequences. The ISI managed to divert some of the Stinger missiles to Kashmir although I believe that militants in Kashmir have never utilized the deadly missile.

That old adage again: one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist.

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