Posted on 09/25/2007 3:14:42 PM PDT by vietvet67
President Lee C. Bollinger of Columbia University and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran met Monday on a field of rhetorical battle at Columbia.
Bollinger opened the proceedings, to which he had invited Ahmadinejad, by presenting a series of sharply-worded questions. Bollinger, normally a genial, soft spoken man who is always courteous and deferential to his guests, was in a totally different mode. His voice was hectoring and bullying. He included in his litany of questions provocative and insulting statements about his guest.
Bollinger's change of style was, I believe, to blunt the enormous criticism that ensued following Columbia's invitation to Ahmadinejad to speak there. In his defense, Bollinger's supporters constantly invoke the concepts of free speech and the First Amendment. But in this case they simply don't apply.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution reads as follows: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
No government action was taken to stop Columbia and Bollinger from extending the invitation and holding the event as they did. I watched it on television, 600 people watched it from within the auditorium and thousands of Columbia students sat outside watching and listening to a giant TV screen.
The right of free speech - Bollinger and Ahmadinejad were exercising it before, during and after this controversy -- was never in question. What was in question was Bollinger's judgment. Why provide the President of Iran -- who supports terrorism and whose government provides bombs to Iraqi insurgents and terrorists who use them to kill American soldiers -- with the prestigious platform at a great American university?
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Ah, no he didn't.
Spot on! Thanks for posting.
Columbia has ruined its reputation; Bollinger is a fool.
No he didn’t ... it just wasn’t in him
I am glad someone is denounceing this phony.
Lee C. Bollinger “stood up to Ahmadinejad” blah, blah, blah...
Any Republican speaking at Columbia gets shouted down, threatened, their talks totally disrupted by commie thugs.
Bollinger never does anything. Free speech is non-existent on the Stalinist PC Columbia toilet, oops I meant campus.
Now that’s a funny headline....he forgot to do....something he’d never do.....so how could he forget?
I think Bollinger’s intro was wonderful.
Many journalists around the world are hailing it as a
great speech.
I don’t know how much more clear he had to be....he said he hoped Almananutjob would embarrass himself so much that Iranians would stand up and boot him themselves.
New tag line
It is not his JOB to stand up for the US. It is his job to run his university and provide leadership and direction for the University.
In my opinion, he did what was expected of him - that is not leadership. And he continued the existing policy and counter culture direction that Columbia has a long history of doing.
In short, he did little more than what was expected by his handlers.
And why should he? He’s just another leftist, self-loathing liberal academian who has a vested interest in the decline of this country. The very fact that he allowed this assclown to even speak at his University is proof positive of that.
That's what a wussy sounds like when he wants to sound tough. The fact that he had to read off of a prepared text to sound provocative shows that it didnt come from the heart. He even gave a little smirk to himself as he was walking away from the podium as though he was telling himself "I did it!".
Bollinger is just getting nervous about how much anti-American sentiment the public will tolerate-the backlash against Ahmadinejad’s appearance obviously scared the crap out of him. His words were meaningless and intended only to cover his own behind.
The only thing Bollinger accomplished was to make himself look more foolish than Ahmajinedad.
A round trip ticket from Iran to New York - $1500.00
Limosene ride from the hotel to the UN Building - $250.00
The look of frustration on Ahmadinejad’s face
PRICELESS
You miss the point. Columbia and Bollinger provided a terrorist with a forum to bash the United States...and, as expected by many, Ahmadinejad is using the Islamic and Arab press to claim a victory - "American students gave me many standing ovations!"
It doesn't matter what the NY Times, the London Tmes, Stern and Paris Match think - the free world has Amanutjob pegged accurately.
What matters is Ahmadinejad's reputation in the Islamic world - and according to them he boosted his reputation and made the US and Bollinger look like fools.
And that boosts terrorists hearts....now do you think Bollinger was wonderful?
The sad thing is that Columbia is one of the few major universities I know of that retains a core curriculum. I suppose it's possible this has been watered down recently. Great Books by David Denby talks about these classes at Columbia back in the 90s.
ML/NJ
He’s from Manhatten....there is no more of America to him.
Yea - you’re right - he was pathetic. But - I’m sure he was impressed with himself.
Agreed.
The fact that Ahmadinejad was able to speak ill and evil of America on American soil to the Islamic world was a great triumph for him.
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