Jerry Lewis: “I rise to notify Members of the House that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I are sending out invitations by…”

“I rise to notify Members of the House that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I are sending out invitations by way of an event that will take place in the Committee on Appropriations on May 16. The title is ``Celebrating Charlie Wilson's War and the End of the Soviet Empire.'' Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of our former Members and a stalwart on the House Appropriations Committee, whose ability to work behind the scenes and across the aisle helped speed the downfall of the Soviet empire. Those who are interested in the past impact of one Member concentrating himself upon the Soviet empire and the effect he had should be a part of this celebration. Mr. Speaker, I rise today pay tribute to one of our former Members, and a stalwart on the House Appropriations Committee, whose ability to work behind the scenes and across the aisle helped speed the downfall of the Soviet empire. I am referring to former Congressman Charlie Wilson, who was renowned for providing top-notch representation for his east Texas constituents. Many of you will remember my good friend Charlie for that, and for a dashing and debonair style that was perhaps unequaled during my time in the House. But I would like to recount something Charlie did quietly about two decades ago that may have changed the course of world history. In the early 1980s, foreign policy was for the most part a bipartisan affair.…”