Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

I think the big win here would be if one could have an Iranian interview him, which will never happen.

Yes, to quote Charlie, Ahmadinejad is jerking America's chain.

Charlie's questions are good but clearly this a heavily managed interview.

I want to know who chose the translator for Ahmadinejad, and it is not a UN translator, she has a clear POV. She is laghing. Totally unprofessional. Kinda shocking and I wonder what Charlie's reaction would be off-camera.

Ahmadinejad's smart. He's playing to the "intelligence" of the American people.

I like to see Charlie get a little bit pissed off at someone who is so clearly playing Charlie.

Charlie got a major get, and yet he's a bit f___ed. Somehow, I'm reminded of Phyllis Schlafly. I'm wondering if she did the press training for this tour.

I think it's interesting that it's not the same translator on both sides, which I guess makes sense and, at the same time, it introduces two additional POVs.

Does Charlie get to pick his translator and does Ahmadinejad get to pick his?

Ahmadinejad is good, he's totally doing the republican thing, and he's having a good time.

Ahmadinejad is literally laughing at what he himself is saying. He is smart as sh__ at managing the press. It sounds great when he describes Iran. Um...I think there might be some spin there.

When Ahmadinejad says "Iran has one of the highest levels of democracy in the region," I think there is reason to disagree, based on say reality.

If were a republican, he could probably get elected here. He's good.

Charlie is gracious, when he says "I must go." It ended up being a crap interview not because Charlie wasn't good...but because Ahmadinejad was bad.

At the same time... You go Charlie. Rock the ____ on.

Luciano Pavorotti

Luciano...Stop dying your hair!

Oh. Wait.

You're dead.

Um. Sorry.

Robert Draper

um...HAIR?! What was he thinking?! CUT the hair. Yup, I had that cut in the 80s. But, the 80s ended 17 years ago.

That said, smart.

Articulate. I don't really get how Bush fell for him. Something tells me that after this book and the Woodward book that Monsieur Le Bush will not ever talk to an author again. : )

So be it.

I have long thought that Bush was, in his own complicated way, smarter than we'd like to believe. I've long had the opinion that Bush was not dumb. Dumb like a fox maybe. I disagree oh, say 100% with him but I don't think he's as dumb as the caricature would have us believe.

Hair aside, this is a good one.

I didn't know that 43 as rejected by UT for law school. Doesn't say much for HBS.

The White House has no concept of the obligation to dissent. Fuckers.

"What did you want to know that you just couldn't get your hands around" is a fine question.

I actually think that Draper could be a fine pundit. His responses are uniformly articulate and a good derivative thinker able to think extrapolatively, which I think is key.

Laura, to me, is the sleeper. I think that she has been over-looked in the kerfuffle of her fucking husband.

Six hours of conversation with fucker 43 is significant but he should be saying and 223 hours with his circle.

Extremely well done on the part of CR and Mr. Draper.

Caroline Kennedy, Jeffrey Sachs, Richard Stengel

Caroline, whom I love, needs some coaching on public appearances. Every word well spoken. Clearly smart, articulate, lovely...but sit up, shoulders back, head up. Especially given that the topic is personal service. It may be the camera angle...but she should play that.

They are all raising fantastic points on the value of public service and the message is that no one comes back un-changed.

I love the idea that in Maryland that you cannot graduate from high school without doing volunteer work.

Ted Sorenson

What is up with Ted's hair. I hate to stoop but...it it's not a wig, it might as well be. It is such a distractor from what is clearly otherwise a wise man. This shows disturbing lack of self-awareness which waters down his clearly intelligent thoughts.

At 79, he's no Don Rickles.

Charlie's doing a good job of managing an older gentleman graciously, which he deserves.

"What counts most is judgement." Yes. No question.

Don Rickles

A SHOCKER. I came so close to not watching the show because I could not bear the thought of a scenery-chewing octogenarian.

What a surprise. Yes, there were moments of shtick but more importantly Rickles came across as a smart self-aware sweet man who knows who he is and knows the he loves his wife of um, er, something like 100o years. I believe he weighs in at 82.

Alfred Taubman

"I trusted this woman"

My ass. Me thinks she doth protest too much.

I find it slightly shocking that Charlie hasn't bothered to get Alfie to mention Diana Brooks' name for the first 7 minutes.

"I wrote this for my grandkids" Hmmm...I agree. Why would you write the book that explains why grandpa colluded. Grandpa should not have colluded.

But he did.

"I've always presented goods to the customer in the way that was easiest for them to buy."

Shockingly, that seems to be about right.

Alfie saw that he could turn a retail business into a retail business...and he admits it.

And yet, it seems, oh wait, totally plausible that he would then collude with the only other player in the business, in order to make those retail prices a little higher.

MMMMM....more money for Alfie.

Yup. He did it.

Alfred Taubman: "They took a person's life way from them...they might as well shoot them."

Do you really want that?

Charlie is much better at handling Alfred at 84 or so, than the Beastie Boys. Charlie actually did really well with Alfie.