At 87, Wallace still tells it like it is - The Boston Globe

At 87, Wallace still tells it like it is - The Boston Globe: "At 87, Wallace still tells it like it is

By Suzanne C. Ryan, Globe Staff | December 8, 2005

Mike Wallace and his hard-hitting brand of journalism have been synonymous with ''60 Minutes' since CBS introduced the program in 1968. Now 87 years old, Wallace, who has interviewed everyone from Malcolm X to Johnny Carson, has written his second memoir. Wallace was in Brookline, his hometown, recently to talk about ''Between You and Me.' He managed to squeeze in trips to his old house on Osborne Road and to his elementary school, Edward Devotion, before answering a few questions.

Q: President George W. Bush has declined to be interviewed by you. What would you ask him if you had the chance?

A: What in the world prepared you to be the commander in chief of the largest superpower in the world? In your background, Mr. President, you apparently were incurious. You didn't want to travel. You knew very little about the military. . . . The governor of Texas doesn't have the kind of power that some governors have. . . . Why do you think they nominated you? . . . Do you think that has anything to do with the fact that the country is so [expletive] up?"