A TALE OF TWO CONGRESSMAN

The recent passing away of two congressman with very different approaches to foreign policy problems of their times when compared and contrasted show that bravery can still make a difference but also that support for an interventionist us policy has led us to the problems we face now.

Charlie Wilson of Texas was known as “the liberal from Lufkin” but in fact was anything but on foreign policy….He was the perfect example of the cold war Democrat who later morphed into the neoconservative….Wilson was a great friend of Somoza, the dictator of Nicaragua, and pushed stronger for the US to get more involved during the revolution of the Sandinistas….And of course the he was a big supporter of the Contras, the gang of criminals the USA funded to destabilize the Sandinista government.

But Wilson was probably most known for being the principal congressional cheerleader for the funding and creation of the Muhajideen in Afghanistan….Their plan to indirectly thrash the Russian bear by trapping them in a Vietnam type of situation was the early rallying point for the Reagan era cold warriors ….Seemed like a good idea at the time but out of the Muhajideen came Al Qaeda armed with all the special training they’d received courtesy of the CIA….In retrospect, this was one of America’s worst foreign policy decisions of all time.

Wilson, being a politician, took no blame for what happened afterwards-the growth of Al Qaeda, the Taliban etc….Instead he blamed America for pulling out after the Russians gave up on Afghanistan and not staying behind to rebuild the country….This was a valid concern but the real problem was being there to begin and America’s interference in the affairs of other nations.

Charlie Wilson seemed to be such a foe of communism and revolutions because he had the best intentions (although it’s hard to imagine a supporter of autocratic dictatorships like The Shah and Somoza to be a great humanitarian) but this is what paves the road to Hell.

John Murtha, on the other hand, will always be known for taking a stand against a flawed and disastrous US policy during a time of war-not a popular thing to do but the right thing often isn’t….The Bush administration was competent at one thing-the character assassination of those who disagreed with its neo-conservative agenda….This despite the lack of military experience in its chief people-Bush, Cheney, Karl Rove….Presidential candidate John Kerry, a decorated military veteran and a hero, was slandered by this crew of draft dodgers….However, when Murtha spoke up about the horrific failure that is The Iraq War the same thing could not be done to him not only because of his sterling military record in the Marines but also because of his fierce determination to get the truth out despite attacks on his character….Here’s how he dismembers one critic, one pansy Republican on the floor of the house….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6nR7mgjfmE&feature=related

John Murtha’s bravery should be remembered and Charlie Wilson’s pre-neoconservative thought should also be remembered….Murtha’s being the type of behavior brave men will emulate and Wilson’s hopefully placed in the trash heap of history.