Iran's President

I saw Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, interviewed by Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes. I've seen him interviewed before, both by Brian Williams of NBC News and also Mike Wallace. With each interview I see, I get more worried.

First off, the guy never answers a direct question. Pelley is obviously frustrated by this and many times used the phrase, "Is that a 'no' then?" while interviewing Mr. Ahmadinejad. Sure, what politician does answer questions honestly? I guess what bothers me is the way he smiles as he dodges questions, like he knows that we know that he knows. If we're all in the know, then why the grand performance?

My gut tells me Mr. Ahmadinejad uses the American media to both attack the current administration and sympathize with the American public. I think he pities us for having Bush as President despite the fact that we elected him. It's propaganda, of course, but I'm not sure entirely sure what Iran hopes to gain by it. Mr. Ahmadinejad comes across to me more as a used car salesman than elder statesman, and I don't imagine he's convincing too many Americans that he's a stable political force for the Middle East. After all, he denies the Holocaust took place, openly calls for the dissolution of Israel as a country (by force I assume since there's no way Israel will allow that without a fight), and argues that Iran only seeks to develop nuclear technology for energy needs, not for weapons. He claims the latter while flashing that smile of his.

The problem is that Iran is all too likely trying to develop a nuclear weapon, no matter what Mr. Admadinejad says. I heard reports last week that Israel entered Syrian air space and bombed what it claimed was a nuclear facility. Experts in the Middle East speculate that if the United States or some other government doesn't get a handle on Iran's nuclear weapons program, Israel will take matters into its own hands and try to take out the facilities themselves. And that could be all it would take to light the very short fuse of the Middle Easter powder keg.

What's most irritating about all this is the U.S. has wasted its clout and credibility claiming that Iraq had WMD. It didn't and now it's cry wolf when the U.S. says it has intelligence that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon. I don't blame other countries for doubting our word, I just hope it doesn't spiral into an expanding war beyond the borders of Iraq.