I Take Back What I Said About Scott Pelley

I was so wrong about Scott Pelley.

I gave him way too much credit for the way he handled his 60 Minutes interview with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

I thought he did a significantly better job than the fawning Mike Wallace did in August of 2006. I stand by that.

I also thought that Pelley didn't seem to find Ahmadinejad as beguiling as Wallace did, that he recognized him to be the nutjob that he is.

WRONG.

From NewBusters, Kyle Drennen writes:

Scott Pelley conducted a very tough interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which aired on Sunday's 60 Minutes, but on Monday’s Early Show Pelley was very generous in his personal assessment of the man. Host Harry Smith and Pelley agreed that Ahmadinejad is "crazy like a fox" while Pelley also hailed Ahmadinejad as "incorruptible" and "modest." Pelley contended the dictator, who denies the Holocaust, wants Israel destroyed and is causing the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, is a lot smarter than Westerners believe and is even a "friendly" guy.

What was I thinking?

How I could be so naive to think that someone involved with CBS News, especially 60 Minutes, wouldn't be a Leftist loon?

Transcript excerpt

Smith: What are we to take away from this? Because this country is so close to Iraq, it has so much influence over so much of the Iraqi government, as we know it right now. We look at this interview, what are we to take away from -- what are we to understand who this man is?

Pelley: The important thing, I think, Harry, to understand, he's described in the West as a madman, crazy, that's not the case. I found him to be as many politicians are, very engaging, very friendly, he's clearly not mad, he's sane. In fact, he's very wily I would tell you-

Smith: Crazy like a fox.

Pelley: Crazy like a fox perhaps. But he's a very, very wily character. Fascinating man in background. He is genuinely religious, genuinely humble, there are no fancy clothes, fancy cars, he lives with his wife and his three children. They live in an apartment in Tehran. He is a very modest man and said to be absolutely incorruptible as well, he's a fascinating character.

Smith: Dangerous?

Pelley: The policies of Iran are dangerous and I think he's capable of pursuing those policies.

Unbelievable.

Pelley is just as bad as Mike Wallace. An argument could be made that he's worse. After all, Pelley isn't pushing 90.

Rest easy, libs. The next generation at 60 Minutes is just as far Left and deranged as its founding fathers.