Thursday, August 10, 2006

Mike and Mahmoud: Brothers in Hate



I love you
You love me
We're best friends
Like friends should be

What is with CBS?

Less than a month before the start of the war in Iraq, Dan Rather sat down with Saddam Hussein. It was a bizarre interview, typical Rather stuff.


Remember?

Now, the retired Mike Wallace has been pulled out of mothballs to do an interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It freaks me out that the ancient Wallace had a sit down with madman Ahmadinejad.


Like one of those washed up or notorious celebrities doing a 60 Minutes interview to hawk a book, I get the feeling that Ahmadinejad, harbinger of doom, wanted to get his story out to sell people on his impending war plans and win some hearts and minds.

I believe Ahmadinejad thinks there are Americans sympathetic to his cause and Hezbollah. He, of course, would be right about that.

The creepiest part of all is that Wallace walked away from the interview with respect and a degree of admiration for the nutjob.



(CBS) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sat down with Mike Wallace in Tehran on Tuesday in a rare, exclusive interview with a Western reporter.

In the wide-ranging interview, the Iranian leader comments on President Bush's foreign policy, the lack of relations between Iran and the United States, Hezbollah, Lebanon and Iraq.

Speaking about President Bush's failure to answer his 18-page letter that criticized U.S. foreign policy, Ahmadinejad said, "Well, (with the letter) I wanted to open a window towards the light for the president so that he can see that one can look on the world through a different perspective. … We are all free to choose. But please give him this message, sir: Those who refuse to accept an invitation will not have a good ending or fate. You see that his approval rating is dropping every day. Hatred vis-à-vis the president is increasing every day around the world. For a ruler, this is the worst message that he could receive. Rulers and heads of government at the end of their office must leave the office holding their heads high."

On what the "conducive conditions" would be for Iran to establish relations with the U.S., the president said, "Well, please look at the makeup of the American administration, the behavior of the American administration. See how they talk down to my nation. And this recent resolution passed about the nuclear issue, look at the wording. They have given us — presented us with a package which we are studying right now. We even gave them a date for our response. Ignoring that, they passed a resolution. They want to build an empire. And they don't want to live side-by-side in peace with other nations. The American government, sir, it is very clear to me they have to change their behavior and everything will be resolved. (George W. Bush) believes that his power emanates from his nuclear warhead arsenals. The time of the bomb is in the past, it's behind us. Today is the era of thoughts, dialogue and cultural exchanges."

Gee, why do you think Ahmadinejad decided to do an interview with CBS?

Do you think it could be because CBS is so stridently anti-Bush?

Do you think it could be that Ahmadinejad knew that old man Wallace and CBS would treat him well and promote his viewpoints?

You should.

Wallace was impressed by the "smart, savy" Ahmadinejad.

This afternoon, Wallace served as the mouthpiece for the Holocaust denier on Sean Hannity's radio show.

Wallace, a Jew, explained that Ahmadinejad doesn't really want to wipe Israel off the map. Instead, he simply wants it on a different place on the map.

Wallace said, "He's very rational."

HUH?

It was incredible to hear Wallace debate with Hannity, insisting that Ahmadinejad isn't anti-Semitic.

Hannity suggested that Ahmadinejad might be using CBS and the interview as a propaganda stunt to convince Americans (gullible Lefties) that he's not a bad guy.

Wallace said that wasn't case.

"The more time that I spent with the man, ... he doesn't like the United States because it supports the Zionist entity."

Wallace does not believe that Ahmadinejad is anti-Jew. He argued that Jews in Iran are well-placed, and that's proof.

Wallace claimed, "He didn't propagandize, and so forth."


Nooooo. Are you kidding? Ahmadinejad propagandize?

It's like the former 60 Minutes anchor was brainwashed.

When Hannity was countering what Wallace was saying, Wallace kept repeating that he understands, because before he went to Tehran, he had the same sort of misconceptions about the man.

Wallace added that Mr. Nice Guy Ahmadinejad feels sorry for President Bush because his poll numbers are down, and he'll be leaving office with the people against him. Ahmadinejad expressed sympathy that the United States' standing in the world under President Bush has fallen so dramatically.


Spare me.

No wonder Wallace was won over by the guy. Ahmadinejad was echoing so much of what he was probably accustomed to hearing in the CBS men's room.

As the interview went on, things got worse.

Wallace bent over backwards to make Ahmadinejad's stance on Israel seem reasonsable. Trying to explain the Iranian president's view, Wallace said, "Let's buy the fact that there was a Holocaust." If there was, let's move the Zionist entity to Germany instead of putting it in the Arab World.

Wallace said that Ahmadinejad was "infinitely more rational than I expected him to be."

Maybe that's because they share a profound hate for President Bush.

I give Hannity a lot of credit for treating Wallace so respectfully. The man is 88-years-old.

I think that's why the incredulous Hannity was so gentle with him. Then again, Wallace was digging his own grave, and Hannity knew it.

Without question, Ahmadinejad played Wallace as a propaganda tool. And I suspect that CBS loves it.

No comments: