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Rachel Maddow talks to Charlie Rose about Iran, Twitter, gay rights, fame, and coming out

AfterEllen.com reader Kerstin tipped us off to an interesting new interview Rachel Maddow did with Charlie Rose on The Charlie Rose Show this Thursday.

During the 25-minute interview, Rachel gives Rose her take on Iran, American foreign policy, gay rights, President Obama, and Twitter, but also answers questions on more personal topics like the success of her TV show and her sudden fame. When Rose expands at length about how so many people have crushes on her (including “gays, straights, teenagers, rabbis, [and] Republicans”), she blushes and then deftly avoids responding.

It’s a very engaging, substantive conversation that covers a lot of ground. You can watch the entire interview here — the first 17 minutes are focused on politics and policy, the rest on her and her show:

Some highlights:

On the President’s stand-back approach to Iran: “I certainly don’t always agree with him on foreign policy issues [but] I think that he is doing the right thing in Iran.”

On why Twitter has played such a big role in the Iranian election protests: “Decentralized things are powerful things when you’re talking about mass movements.”

On the economy: “Regulation isn’t a dirty word, and government having a role in the clean functioning of markets is not something that should be resented, demonized, and minimized.”

On Obama’s gay rights record in office so far: “The distance between his actions and his statements on gay rights have been actually a little bit shocking.”

On fame: “I try to pretend it doesn’t exist.”

On how she realized she was gay: “I just sort of arrived at it through rational deduction.”

On being out: “Find your own way, but it is better to be out than to be closeted, and I can say that in terms of quality of life, and in terms of what’s ethically right for your community. It is better for other gay people if you’re out.”

Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments.

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