Bollinger wise to let ‘petty, cruel' man speak

It was one of those wonderfully, uniquely American moments — simultaneously annoying and inspiring, ugly and beautiful, banal and profound.

What happened Monday at Columbia University in New York City probably would not have happened in any country besides the United States.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, gave a speech at Columbia, one of more prestigious universities in this country.

Ahmadinejad insulted America by implying that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including one in the very city where he was standing, were not solely the work of terrorists.

He insulted the memories of six million Jews by questioning, as he has done before, whether the Holocaust happened.

He refused to retract his past statements in which he advocated for the elimination of Israel (whether he intends a literal elimination of Israel, or a political one, is not clear based on discrepancies in translations).

We ought to be thankful that Ahmadinejad said all those things.

His speech at Columbia illustrates this simple, wondrous truth: In America, no matter how ridiculous or hateful or just plain inane are your opinions, you have the right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to express them.

Ahmadinejad also wanted to lay a wreath at the site of Ground Zero, a request which New York officials denied. We think they should have let him do so, just as Columbia President Lee Bollinger — a Baker City native, by the way — allowed the Iranian president to speak on campus.

So what if Ahmadinejad was hoping, cynically, to set up a poignant photo op rather than intending to make a genuine display of sympathy?

Americans will not be hoodwinked by this charlatan. His lack of sincerity is as transparent as a new window, and we're pleased that Bollinger seems to understand this.

Ahmadinejad's pathetic speech at Columbia reminded us, again, of the essential strength of American society. We need not fear the words of such a man, or seek to silence him by refusing him a forum.

Bollinger's strategy is by far the better one — the more American one, even. He introduced Ahmadinejad with this scathing accusation: "Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

Then Bollinger relinquished the lectern and let Ahmadinejad prove him right.