Roy Maynard: Early Returns

For a political junkie, "Charlie Wilson's War" is a wonderful Christmas present. Engaging and mostly accurate, the film is based on the excellent book by the late George Crile. It's about the support for Afghan rebels that Congressman Charlie Wilson, a Lufkin Democrat, won in Washington.

A writer for The Hollywood Reporter nailed it when he said, "Charlie Wilson's War" is the anti- "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." It is not a family movie. Do not take children. There is coarse language and coarse subject matter. Just like in Washington, in fact.

I came away reminded of some specific truths - something that doesn't always happen with political movies.

First, it's true that all politics are local. And it's even truer that all politics are personal.

And Wilson was a masterful politician. Good enough, at least, to convince voters to re-elect him despite scandals involving heavy drinking, partying and women.

A key scene - at least for politically oriented viewers - is when a Lufkin constituent comes into Wilson's Washington office. It's a busy day, but Wilson always makes time for constituents (especially those who donate to his campaign). Wilson prominently displays his boots (what every good Texas politician wears in D.C.) and listens to the man's concerns.

He doesn't provide the answer the man wants, but that's not really what's significant here. He listened. Voters forgive much, if they believe the politician sincerely cares.

And throughout the movie, action and success hinge on personal contacts. That's how it really works. A Houston socialite, such as Joanne Herring, really can utilize her personal contacts - who included Wilson, Secretary of State James Baker III, and others - to influence public policy.

The second truth I gleaned from the movie is that someone is always keeping score. In Washington, it's the chit system. If you vote for my bill, I will vote for yours. Do me this favor, and I will do one for you someday.

At one point in the movie, Wilson (played by Tom Hanks) credits his success in Congress to "holding more chits than anyone else."

And an important part of the plot revolves around Wilson's role on the ethics committee in clearing Congressman John Murtha following the FBI's Abscam investigations.

That's how it really works. Being around long enough to collect those chits and learning when to turn them in is a key to a political career. And that leads us to a third truth in this movie: seniority counts.

I know, I know. As a conservative, I am supposed to like the idea of term limits.

And, as an idea, term limits are great. They're a way to ensure that the people we send to Washington (or Austin) stay there, smitten with the glamour of public office.

But in practice - just as this movie shows - seniority counts. Committees do the real work in Washington (and again, in Austin). And committee assignments are based mostly on seniority. Had Wilson not been named to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, history would be very different.

In a previous column in which I mentioned Crile's book, "Charlie Wilson's War," I touched on the unintended consequences of supporting the Afghan mujahideen - namely, the emergence of the Taliban when the mujahideen failed to install a stable government following the 1992 pullout of the Soviet Union.

And that's how the movie ends, with a warning. In politics and diplomacy, there's no end to the game. There's always a next move.

It's a lesson we don't seem to have learned, but that's another column.


Early Returns is the political observations column of staff writer Roy Maynard, who can be reached at 903-596-6291 or at roymaynardtmt@gmail.com.

Roy Maynard
()