A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White, Whatever Kind of Mood You're In Tonight

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that...he is gone."--The Usual Suspects
At the outset, let me state that I don't think Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the devil, but it's difficult to watch his current escapades and not think he's trying to embark on one of the world's great personality makeovers. Even though you can read the transcript of Pres. Ahmadinejad's interview with Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes, the true nature of the exchange was captured only by watching the Iranian President's mannerisms and facial expressions.

Here's a sample of the interview that aired tonight:

"The American Army has captured Iranian missiles in Iraq. The critical elements of the explosively formed penetrator bombs that are killing so many people are coming from Iran. There's no doubt about that anymore. The denials are no longer credible, sir," Pelley pointed out.

"Very good. If I may. Are you an American politician? Am I to look at you as an American politician or a reporter? This is what the American officials are claiming," Ahmadinejad replied. "If they accuse us 1,000 times, the truth will not change."

"Are you saying that it is not the policy of this government to send weapons into Iraq? Sir, forgive me, you're smiling, but this is a very serious matter to America," Pelley said.

"Well, it's serious for us as well. I daresay it's serious for everyone," Ahmadinejad told Pelley. "It seems to me it's laughable for someone to turn a blind eye to the truth and accuse others. It doesn't help. And the reason that I'm smiling, again, it's because that the picture is so clear. But American officials refuse to see it."

After watching Ahmadinejad's interview while simultaneously working my way through William Manchester's The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone 1932-1940, it seems many of his methods of dealing with the press and opposing leaders bear a troubling resemblance to the way that Hitler charmed and manipulated the leaders of Europe until he finally was able to wage war on his own terms.