I finally saw Charlie Wilsons War the other night. Maryland political and historical observers with far longer memories than I, who saw the film, would have immediately recognized Ned Beatty’s character Clarence "Doc" Long. Long represented Maryland’s Second Congressional District and chaired the highly influential foreign operations subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. It was Long and Wilson who helped funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to the Afghan Mujahedeen to fight the Soviets.

Long was called “Doc” because he was a political science professor at Johns Hopkins from 1946-1943. Long received a masters and PhD from Princeton, which is ironically the alma mater former Governor Bob Ehrlich, one of Long’s successors to the second district congressional seat. Known for his frank style of speaking, Long a staunch anti-communist Democrat, served 11 terms in the House of Representatives before losing his seat to Helen Delich Bentely in 1984.

Topics: Clarence "Doc" Long , Charlie Wilson's War

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"Doc" Long: Maryland's Connection to Charlie Wilson's War

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