I saw the movie about 1/3 of the way through the book, and even by then I knew that the movie doesn't even come close to portraying the extent of shock and scandal that makes up this true story. The movie is like the tip of the iceberg that is this book, which tells of how Congressman Charlie Wilson miraculously funded a secret CIA war in Afghanistan. It's a jaw-dropping page-turner, though I have to admit it took me a long time to read because of its huge cast of characters. At first I tried to keep track of who was who, and some of it wasn't easy, as the book assumes you know a thing or two about various domestic and international politicians going back to the 1980's, not to mention a bit about foreign relations at the time. (I didn't know enough and kept having to infer from the book or ask Ken questions.) Once I decided not to get caught up in the details, the book went much faster.
I don't think I'm naive when it comes to politics, but this book really opened my eyes as to how business can be conducted in Washington. Every few pages I would look up and say to Ken, "I can't believe this!" and read him an excerpt. Knowing what we know now about how the very mujahideen we funded, trained, and armed became the same ones to attack us on 9/11, the whole series of events just seems all that much more unbelievable. I kept wondering if anyone involved in the Afghan war would feel in any way responsible for the unintended consequences of their actions, and that question is briefly addressed in the epilogue, aptly titled, "Unintended Consequences."
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