Yes - I (and most others here) are aware of that.
What is brought into question is the circumstance under which he is supposed to have “looked down the tube.”
If you listen to the interview here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U6DhlpOo8Es
You can hear that he is implying personal peril, in that he “looked down the tube” in the manner which someone would “stare down the barrel of a gun.”
But I suppose you could take his comment either way.
I think he was trying to imply courage, especially in the context of the rest of this interview, which was essentially a narcissistic reverie.
Your assessment is probably the correct one. Sometimes I bend over backwards to give my adversaries the benefit of the doubt.
:-)
If he had just read the news rather than try to be a Journalistic Saint/Prima Donna he would have stayed out of trouble.