Mike Wallace and "The Zionist State"

The Jerusalem Post contains an AP report on Mike Wallace's upcoming 60 Minutes interview of Iran's Ahmadinejad:

"You'll find him an interesting man," he said. "I expected more of a firebrand. I don't think he has the slightest doubt about how he feels ... about the American administration and the Zionist state. He comes across as more rational than I had expected."

The American administration and the "Zionist state?"

The what?

Are your eyes popping out like mine did?

Here's a little exercise for you. Google the term "Zionist state" and see who uses those words to describe Israel. The first 13 hits I got led me to rabidly anti-Israel sites (including one rant about a worldwide Jewish conspiracy).

Imagine any sitting senator or presidential candidate (especially a Republican) using "Zionist state" to describe Israel. Do you think CBS News would give that person a pass like the one Mike Wallace will probably get?