Ahmadinejad Reveals Wallace

The best thing about Ahmadinejad in these CBS interviews (the 2-part video can be found here and here -- CSPAN television in the US has, apparently by Ahmadinejad's own request, decided to broadcast the entire 90-minute interview in full on US television tonight) is that he totally dispels all of the Western media propaganda of the last couple years that has tried to portray him as a loose cannon, an uncivilized leader of the developing world -- something the Western media specializes in.

Though Mike Wallace tries his very best to talk down to the President, to portray him as evasive or erratic, the only thing Wallace really achieves is embarrassing himself. With an almost pathological ease, Ahmadinejad calmly and with a reliable smile, calls attention to Wallace's denigrating and condescending interview style, while at the same time answering all the questions and getting all of his messages across. The only person uptight about an agenda turns out to be Mike Wallace.

By the end of the interview, it's almost as if Wallace has overcome his scorn and is seeking a reconciliation not only with Ahmadinejad but with Iran itself. "Do you want to have relations now after 26, 27 years?", Wallace asks, rather pleading for the chance at another roll in the hay.