President of Iran giving one hell of a speech at Columbia University

[Real]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Columbia University President Lee Bollinger excoriated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday, going through a long list of documented actions and remarks by the firebrand Iranian leader and his government.</p>

<div id="imageChanger1" _extended="true">
<div class="cnnStoryPhotoBox" _extended="true">
<div class="cnnImgChngr" id="cnnImgChngr" _extended="true">
<div id="cnnImgChngrNested">

<div class="cnnStoryPhotoCaptionBox">
<div class="cnn3pxTB9pxLRPad">

Protesters gather at Columbia University against plans for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="cnnStoryPhotoBoxNavigation">
<div id="cnnImgChngrPrvsLbl" _extended="true"></div>
<div id="cnnImgChngrLbl" _extended="true">1 of 2</div>
<div id="cnnImgChngrNxtLbl"></div>
</div>
<div class="cnnWireBoxFooter">

</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var CNN_ArticleChanger = new CNN_imageChanger('cnnImgChngr','/2007/US/09/24/us.iran/imgChng/p1-0.init.exclude.html',1,1);

//CNN.imageChanger.load('cnnImgChngr','imgChng/p1-0.exclude.html');
</script>

"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said to applause from many of the 600 people in the room for a speech from the Iranian leader.</p>

He cited the Iranian government's "brutal crackdown" on dissidents, public executions, executions of minors and other actions.</p>

And Bollinger assailed Ahmadinejad's "denying" of the Holocaust as "ridiculous" and "dangerous propaganda." He called the Iranian leader either brazenly provocative "or astonishingly uneducated."</p>

"The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history," he said.</p>

He said he doubted <u><font color="#5c7996">Ahmadinejad</font></u> would show the intellectual courage to answer the questions before him.</p>

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/24/us.iran/index.html</p>

My question is, why did the University let him speak?</p>

 

[pegs]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>And Bollinger assailed Ahmadinejad's "denying" of the Holocaust as "ridiculous" and "dangerous propaganda." He called the Iranian leader either brazenly provocative "or astonishingly uneducated."</div></p>

i don't know how you could basically say the Holocaust didn't happen. that's ridiculous, and i'd love to see what Ahmad would say if a person from the Holocaust were to confront him.</p>

 

[lukewarmplay]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Real)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Columbia University President Lee Bollinger excoriated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday, going through a long list of documented actions and remarks by the firebrand Iranian leader and his government.</p>

<div id="imageChanger1" _extended="true">
<div class="cnnStoryPhotoBox" _extended="true">
<div class="cnnImgChngr" id="cnnImgChngr" _extended="true">
<div id="cnnImgChngrNested">

<div class="cnnStoryPhotoCaptionBox">
<div class="cnn3pxTB9pxLRPad">

Protesters gather at Columbia University against plans for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="cnnStoryPhotoBoxNavigation">
<div id="cnnImgChngrPrvsLbl" _extended="true"></div>
<div id="cnnImgChngrLbl" _extended="true">1 of 2</div>
<div id="cnnImgChngrNxtLbl"></div>
</div>
<div class="cnnWireBoxFooter">

</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var CNN_ArticleChanger = new CNN_imageChanger('cnnImgChngr','/2007/US/09/24/us.iran/imgChng/p1-0.init.exclude.html',1,1);

//CNN.imageChanger.load('cnnImgChngr','imgChng/p1-0.exclude.html');
</script>

"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said to applause from many of the 600 people in the room for a speech from the Iranian leader.</p>

He cited the Iranian government's "brutal crackdown" on dissidents, public executions, executions of minors and other actions.</p>

And Bollinger assailed Ahmadinejad's "denying" of the Holocaust as "ridiculous" and "dangerous propaganda." He called the Iranian leader either brazenly provocative "or astonishingly uneducated."</p>

"The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history," he said.</p>

He said he doubted <u><font color="#5c7996">Ahmadinejad</font></u> would show the intellectual courage to answer the questions before him.</p>

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/24/us.iran/index.html</p>

My question is, why did the University let him speak?</p>

</div></p>

Because there's a couple of ways to change the behavoir of evil regimes. One is to be friendly with them, even to offer aid so as to make them dependent on you, to get them to want to maintain good relations with you, and the other is to invade. There's also the opinions of his citizenship towards the US to consider. He is a disgusting, evil man, and to see it in only a black & white way is to see it the same way the guys who caused us to invade Iraq. That's why these protestors are driving me crazy (apart from the snippet I heard where they said the human rights violations in the US were on a par with those in Iran).</p>

Granted, the university has no pull in determining foreign policy, but they can maybe inform the dialogue a little.</p>

</p>

 

[MikeDC]

What's not black and white about a guy being described as disgusting and evil?

</p>

I tend to think letting him talk is a good thing. The more people hear him, the more people will realize what a nut he is. And the more people in Iran will realize he's not serving their interests. It's a win/win.</p>

 

[AEM]

While many are congratulating Columbia University and its president Lee Bollinger for the way its recent event starring Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was handled, those plaudits are seriously misplaced.

Ahmadinejad, for all of his buffoonery and insane rantings, is nothing if not a highly intelligent and cunning political figure, who knew exactly what sort of political capital he would be able to mine from his reception at Columbia.

And Columbia walked right into it. Ahmadinejad was able to vacillate and still appear to America-haters around the world (and, sadly, here as well) as somehow a victim. Never mind the fact that he was accorded infinitely more respect than several right-wing American individuals at Columbia. Never mind the fact that his country is all but at war with the United States due to his actions, or that his support for terrorists in Iraq has caused the deaths of scores of US troops.

Bollinger and co. gave Ahmadinejad exactly what he wanted as a prelude to his rant at the UN - a platform for his ridiculous views combined with an excuse to beg for sympathy. Whether Bollinger actually knew in advance that this was his gift to Iran is irrelevant. It does not take an international affairs genius to realize what was going to occur, and Bollinger's public relations-friendly speech does nothing to absolve him for allowing Ahmadinejad to continue to indoctrinate ignorant people around the world.</p>

</p>

 

[CelticKing]

I still don't understand why the US would let him enter the country?</p>

Would they let Bush go to Iran? or lecture at an university there?</p>

 

[GMJ]

I've got a friend at Columbia who says the president denied that Iran 'had any gays' lol</p>

 

[pegs]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GMJigga)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

I've got a friend at Columbia who says the president denied that Iran 'had any gays' lol</p>

</div></p>

</p>

haha, that's awesome how something as serious as this can produce something funny...</p>

 

[Hunter]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

I still don't understand why the US would let him enter the country?</p>

Would they let Bush go to Iran? or lecture at an university there?</p>

</div></p>

</p>

You have to realize that the United Nations is located in New York City. As a result, it is under a UN mandate that the U.S. has the host country, allow any foreign diplomat to the UN access to the UN (I think its 25 miles, etc. ).</p>

 

[AEM]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hunter)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

I still don't understand why the US would let him enter the country?</p>

Would they let Bush go to Iran? or lecture at an university there?</p>

</div></p>

</p>

You have to realize that the United Nations is located in New York City. As a result, it is under a UN mandate that the U.S. has the host country, allow any foreign diplomat to the UN access to the UN (I think its 25 miles, etc. ).</p>

</div></p>

</p>

They did in fact issue the most restrictive visa - which is indeed 25 miles in radius.</p>