Mike Wallace's latest journalistic "coup"

The lead item on this past Sunday evening's edition of "60 Minutes" was the much-anticipated interview of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by veteran CBS correspondent Mike Wallace. Since I follow developments in Iran very closely, I watched the interview. My own impressions may be summed up thus: (1) the Iranian president exudes self-assurance and does have a certain charm about him -- much as Adolf Hitler apparently displayed during his conferences with Mr. Chamberlain at Bad Godesberg and Munich during that fateful month of September, 1938; (2) in his ability to evade questions, Mr. Ahmadinejad reminded me of a Brazilian fellow I knew when we lived in Ohio, who routinely took 10 or 15 minutes to answer a question which called for a simple "yes" or "no" answer; and (3) Mr. Ahmadinejad's inability to answer questions directly was apparently matched only by Mr. Wallace's corresponding inability to pose the kinds of questions the world really needs to have answered. (In fairness to Mike Wallace, however, I suppose he might have felt more comfortable doing another interview with Gordon B. Hinckley instead of this one.)

Dennis Prager weighs in with a concurring opinion in today's edition of Jewish World Review. Mr. Ahmadinejad, quite frankly, gives me the heebie-jeebies, and I, for one, believe his country and its people deserve something far better than what they now have. I have friends in Iran, and great respect for their culture and history. I hope someday to see Iran become free (on its own terms), then prosper and thrive and take its place as an honored member of the family of nations. But that will be nothing more than a pleasing fantasy as long as the current regime remains in power.

(Update: On a much more cheerful note, click here to see four very good reasons for wishing Iran a bright and prosperous future.)