What concerns me most from the comments I see below is that there seems to be sentiment that if Bush is wrong, arrogant and stupid, that this somehow makes the president of Iran (or leader of any other "enemy" nation) in the right! Do not forget this man calls for the slaughter of millions of Jews and Americans, as well as other Muslims who are not Shiites. Our country may not have wise leadership in dealing with these psychos, but they are still psycho!! God give us the wisdom to protect ourselves from these tyrannical, insane leaders without taking the lives of innocents.

This is why America is so divided. People respect this creep more than their own president. And on top of it all, have NO idea what life is like in other countries. I for one, can tell you.

The Islamo Fascists want to convert you or slit you and your families throats without a second thought. I am sadened by the attitude taken by brian williams in the interview. HOW COME BRIAN DID NOT CHALENGE THIS MAN OF NO LOGIC (NO HOLOCOST??)AND TAKE OUR COUNTRIES WELL BEING INTO CONSIDERATION. I am a FORMER liberal now wondering why liberals are coveting self destruction. Is it a mental illness? I am a former US Marine who protested the Viet Nam war when I came back. Another time another day. NOW we must rise up and kill all Islamo fascists before they kill us and our families.

Why would anyone think that a man who calls for Israel to be "wiped from the map" is a peaceful man?

Wake up, goofy liberals!

Thank you Brian for bringing this interview to us. The rest of the world is not always wrong and we are definitely not always right. We get messages everyday from our gov't that we are always right but we are fools if we believe that!
Could it be possible that maybe Iran is being straight with us and what they are doing is peaceful?
Look at the U.S., I never imagined that this country could take the bad turn that we've taken in the past 5 years. We are the hated ones, the extremist, the intollerant, the bully! Our reputation has never been this bad!
If you ask me I would say that there is a possibility.
I also don't think that Hugo Chavez is this horrible person he's made out to be. Some of what he says I agree with.

Letting President Ahmadinejad speak was the right thing to do. Let us judge his comments without the editing of others. It would have been nice to correct his statement that "There were 2 million that were part of the military at the time -- perhaps altogether 58 million civilians with no roles in the war -- Christians, Muslims, they were all killed." Perhaps you could have pointed him to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
where the figure for military deaths is closer to 24 million. This is not the kind of mistake that the potential owner of a nuclear bomb should make.

Brian,
Your interview with the President of Iran and the speech by Venezuela's President made me very angry.

We are a democartic coutry but it doesn't seem right to provide a forum for our enemies to criticize our
President to a worldwide audience.
To allow them to do so on our soil and while under our protectin semms double repugant.
We reserve the right to criticize our president and grant that the right to do so is also available to everyone. We also,however,wonder what would happen to citizen's of Iran or Venezuela who exercised the same right in their own countryies.

The U.N. seems to stand by and wait for America to take the lead in any given situation and then critizes us for taking it. If the U.N. doesn't do the job in Daufr and criticism falls on us, we should recognize the impotency of that organization and withdraw from it. Let them get the holl out of America and set up in a neutral country such as Switzerland or Sweden.

Amazingly, despite the world's hatred of us, they do not seem to mind taking million dollars financial aid from us. Shame on them!!!

GETTING SICK OF IT.

God help us if many in this Country are as ignorant as some on this blog about the true motives behind the American President's comments during any interview. People, he's playing you for a fool and laughing at your stupidity! If you think he wants peace and brotherhood, you aren't educating yourself about capitalist fundamentalism.

On the topic of suicide bombers the Iranian president condoned the use of innocent children blowing themselves up. After the interview brian williams gave a near apology/explanation by saying a 2nd translator thought perhaps the Iranian president didn't understand the personal intent of the question. HELLO, how can anyone accept suicide bombers or a president that would condone the use of them. Nothing like having the poor strap bombs onto themselves, walk into a crowded public place, and kill innocent people.
The Iranian president was dissmissive when the interviewer tried to f/u on the question of Israel.

God help us if many in this Country are as ignorant as some on this blog about the true motives behind the Iranian President's comments during this interview. People, he's playing you for a fool and laughing at your stupidity! If you think he wants peace and brotherhood, you aren't educating yourself about Islamic fundamentalism.

Bravo!

You think our chimp in charge could even, slightly, be as articulate?

Brian,

Your interview, and more such initiatives at dialog like this, will save the world. Nothing else can. Period.

The only way to peace is through dialog. Anybody who lives in a conceiled room without contact or dialog with the rest of the world cannot make correct decisions about other peoples cultures or way of living. We Americans are peace loving people, we love our families like Iranians and Venezuelas do. THAT I know is one common ground we have. We should start our conversations right there. Face to Face, President with President. We to go Brian. Get the ball rolling.

Bottom, line? I was in favor of the interview Brian held. The Bush administration doesn't know the value of dialogue as a tool of diplomacy. Condoleeza Rice, as someone said yesterday, can't be everywhere and yet I've yet to hear of the Bush adminstration sending an envoy anywhere.

If you don't talk to governments you don't get along with, there is little chance of accomplishing anything.

During World War II, Winston Churchill spoke some of the wisest words ever when he referred to Joseph Stalin and the alliance we had with Russia. Uncle Joe requested an invasion on the French coast to take the pressure off his army. We gave him D-day and the rest is history. I no longer recall Winston's words but they had something to do with making a pact with the devil, if necessary, if he'd help us defeat Hitler.

Good Interview. Although Mr. Williams has been obviously influenced by thoughts on political correctness and politness towards the parties, he couldn´t see himself that these thoughts and feelings would have fitted: The rethoric of the both parties is published in black and white by continental and american press. Therefor any thought towards political correctness to show beeing objectiv is waisted love.
Brain Williams just did the right thing giving Irans president a calm, fair and menschly (he spread his legs far to wide...) interviewmood.
This attitude provided true insightview to the existential feelings of the real person Ahmedinedschad. Greetings from

Kudos to you Mr. Williams...An interview like this has been a long time coming.

Why did you not ask him: If he is so insistent on nuclear technology for peaceful purposes why does he want to remove Israel from the face of the earth?
Why did you not also ask to what extent will Islamic extremists take responsibility for their share of the misery they have caused in the world? When do they apologize? You missed a good opportunity to show this man for what he is - a liar

Absolutely Great Interview & Important Piece Of Journalism. Finally We Got To Hear President Ahmadinejad's Views On The U.S. He Seems Quite Intelligent. To View This Piece Of Work, Tells Me I Truly Live In A
Democracy.

Thank you Brian for your interview, and giving us the opportunity to hear the other site of the story.
I am tiered of hearing the same style of reporting on all the networks. Changing news anchors will not bring audience to the networks. But bring new ideas, let us hear about what is going on in the world, give us different perspectives.
Thank you again for the interview. It shows your courage to do so.

I actually started a message board discussion to talk abou the positive and much welcomed comments the president of Iran made:

http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=94145&BoardsParam=Page%3D1

You can add this to the bottom of my last post if you wish...

Brian , Thanks for the interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I am truly thankful that I got to hear the other side of the story straight from the source. I am sick and tired of hearing only the our side of the story through our media. I love this country and have proudly served it. Thats why it angers me to see what the current administration is doing to it. I never thought that I would say this but....the Iranian president makes way more sense than President Bush. As a matter of fact he seems sane compared to our president. America has always been a symbol of peace, democracy, and integrity, but the current administration has turned that image into one of selfishness and hypocrisy. We must imagine ourselves in our opponents shoes. If Iran forcefully occupied Canada and Mexico, I would definitely expect that our government would be preparing a nuclear weapon of some sort. And I am sure chants like "Death to Iran" would be popular in our streets.

With all the "Rhetoric" the US boasts about Iran, you would have thought president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would have done nothing but use this opportunity to threaten the world with war. "Attack me and Pay!" might have been more of what the Bush Admin would have me expect. THAT IS NOT WHAT I HEARED.

He didn't just talk about world peace once or twice. It was a constant referance to justice, mutual "respect for all," love, spirituality, and indeed peace for "EVERY COUNTRY!" He mentioned all the world's gods (including Jesus and about four others) with respect. And it wasn't like he said all of this just once. It was over and over and over... Probably 70% of his speech seemed to be about world peace, unity, and justice, while and the remaining 30% about how the security council has acted unfairly in favor of "greater powers" which he did not name.

Needless to say (given what he could have said) this was a much welcomed change! If that's not something to work with, I don't know what is...

I give him the benefit of the doubt largely because of the faults, provocative actions, and lies I see in my own country. We [the US] were the one's to attack a sovereign nation against international law. I'd even argue that the administration deliberately did not send enough troops to secure Iraq in hopes to **PROVOKE** a broader war by fracturing its citizens into rival groups. Divide and conquer is the US plan...

Very good and important interview. Despot, dictator, liar, or opportunist, Ahmadinejad is in a position where he must be reckoned with, and understood. Once again the free press affords us one of the critical elements of freeedom that our own government would rather sanitize or suppress -- information.

I was satisfied with the process of the interview.
It is difficult sometimes to push for follow up questions without looking like you are badgering a (controversial) guest.
The questions to which Mr. Ahmadinejad gave evasive answers, tell us all at least as much about him as the questions he chose to answer directly.

Thank you Brian...another great interview. Keep up the good work. We need this kind of transparency so we don't just disgest the propoganda put forth by our own government and Bush specifically. The only reason Bush doesn't want talks with the Iranian president is because he is preparing for war with this country. I always considered Hitler the worst tyrant in the world; willing to create a global war for his own purposes. I'm afraid that George Bush is equally willing to create a global war for his own ideology purposes and we the American people are going to let him do it. Bush has whipped up hysterical reactions among those in this country who are easily led to believe his nonsense. I never thought I would see the day when it would our president in the roll of tyrant of the world. God help us all!!