Earlier this week, Amy Anderson a high school friend I recently reconnected with through Facebook, posted Charlie Wilson's obituary on her Facebook wall. The retired Texas Democrat Congressman's heart gave out just four days before Valentine's Day.
Wilson, known as much for his womanizing as his controversial politics, was played by Tom Hanks in the 2007 movie, Charlie Wilson's War.
Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson's Warlike All the President's Men, Munich, and Nixon/Frost, did not default to Hollywood's pedantic tendency to stroke the ego of its audience with pre-packaged moral high ground conceit. Rather, it provided a confrontational, multifaceted portrait of a flawed but charismatic individual who changed the way the political game was plays. Anyone who saw the Rembrandt drawing retrospective at the Los Angeles Getty Museum knows what I am talking about.
Amy, who had interned for Charlie Wilson a decade after events portrayed in the film took place, however called me attention to a different sort of pre-packaged Hollywoodization. Turns out that those buxom, bubbleheaded bimbos that Nichols and Sorkin ornamented the studio replication of Wilson's office with, were actually, "really smart."
In honor of the myths as well as the realities of the late Charlie Wilson's personality and politics, I am featuring Amy's politiku:
Amy Anderson Politiku
known for his tales of
too much whisky and women
but he did much more
Good Time Charlie drank
whiskey and fought soviets
Hanks played him too sweet
tall in suspenders
wearing a crooked toupee
a real deal texan
Amy Anderson has had many jobs, but her first was an Intern for Charlie Wilson.
The public needs to know whether or not their elected officials are having extra marital affairs because it could reveal a greater history of corruption. Sometimes, as in the case of John Edwards, loss of public trust can destroy a political career. Should politicians who are no longer on the federal payroll continue to get this much media attention, though?
Brandon Ruckdashel
Obama and John
Were two sides of the same coin
A Hope turned to naught
Rebecca Lieb Politiku
strippers and whores aren't
on the valentines day tab
this year, Blackwater
Brad MacDonald Politiku
Love and politics
accommodate the extremes.
What is your safe word?
Wei-Shin Politiku
Bypasses and stents
Bill's battered heart still beats for
Wife, Daughter, and us
Judy Y. Zuklie Politiku
Hair perfectly combed
Calls, money, video tapes
Tripped up my Dear John
Melissa Parrish Politiku
roses a good choice
for wife of an official.
what to get mistress?
Ken Wheaton Politiku
VD also stands
for venereal disease
so back off Cupid.
Lauren Sheppard Poltiku
Romance, politics
A private tryst, public shame
Will the wife stand by?
Imran Jaffery Politiku
Morality is
cannon fodder politic.
Filibust Cupid.
While I find the actions that lead to sex scandals distasteful, I also fear the obsessive fixation we have on publicly exposing every sordid detail might be harming us more than we realize.
I wont pretend that sex scandals are less interesting than a 2,000 word health care overhaul bill. I will, however stipulate that if we recognize the collective tendency to turn sex scandals into media magnets, we can disengage. This would consequently create vast reserves of time and attention. We could better understand how to influence elected officials who are currently holding positions of power.
Susanna Speier Politiku
Okay, Congressman...
...bring back the Public Option
and I'll sleep with you.