Ahmadinejad appears on Larry King

To us here at News Hour, what was most surprising about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s interview on Larry King was that he was there at all. The President of Iran must be sorely on the back foot after the intelligence revelations about the second nuclear enrichment site – or perhaps he just likes the sound of his own voice?

The conversation even strays onto discussion of violence during the election, which Ahmadinejad deflects in his customary manner. But the fact that it goes there at all implies that there was little that was off-limits. Whichever way you look at it, this was pure PR.

Here is part of the interview, and a New York Times analysis.

Obligations & prejudice: Rod Blagojevich speaks

It may be a product of the cable news system – where opinions live and die like flies – but no-one seems overly concerned about tainting of the potential jury pool in the case against Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois [see the charges here]. At the moment his wife is on I’m A Celebrity USA, marshalling the support of celebrities that include original supermodel Janice Dickinson – while ‘Serbian Rod’ is writing himself a book on the back of a six-figure deal, one that, he claims, will come out before the scheduled trial in Spring 2010. Apparently it will be written in such a way so as not to prejudice proceedings, focusing more on the machine than the details. From there, the issue may become whether or not he should profit from it.

Talking to Larry King, Mr Blagojevich quoted Rudyard Kipling and waxed about obligation. There was the obligation to provide for his kids and pay his mortgage, an obligation that meant someone had to go on I’m A Celebrity and scoff insects. Unfortunately, the judge decided that he had a legal obligation to remain in the country, so his wife went to Costa Rica instead, for the same fee – so the family could honour their obligation to NBC. Along a similar theme, Blagojevich claimed part of what led him to this precarious position was trusting people he shouldn’t – King pushed him into naming ‘Tony Ruskin’ as one of those who betrayed that trust. News Hour would greatly appreciate info on who this man might be, as our limited resources have come up with nothing.

In a PR blow, the charity Bear Necessities turned down the family’s offer of a fee, citing his alleged extortion of a children’s hospital as the cause (it was one of several charities to do so according to the former governor – the money eventually went to a charity in Florida). You may argue that Blagojevich has the right to push back against the endless opinions generated by cable news, and of course he does – but there is something deeply parallel about his entire existence. He talks about becoming ‘Mr Mom’ in his wife’s bug-eating absence, a concept that would easily translate to a reality show of its own (imagine the comedy soundtrack, and the advertising with him in a pinny).