"all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator"

At American Digest, a line-up or reactions to Ahmadinejad's speech and Columbia University President Bolliger's surprisingly critical introduction.
I thought it was typical American leftward university PC'ism to have invited the Iranian hustler. The line that all the world's problems are either America's (Mcbushitler) fault or made worse by her intervention (though we saw during the 90's how well NON-intervention worked out). I was actually surprised that the political right made such a stink, it's so expected of this part of the contemporary culture. I felt that if it is opposed by the political right, then that made inviting Ahmadinejad all the more righteous to a left leaning institution. It looked to me that after the invite was delivered, it became apparent that perhaps it wasn't the wisest move. There could have been one big reason, there could have been several smaller reasons.
Maybe the realization that the U S Military is still looked at with respect by the students, even if they hate the commander-in-chief. Maybe the wealth of their parents found the economically foolish attitude that favors enemies of the nation to be beyond stupid.
It was a Columbia U student group that invited the Minutemen to speak several months ago, and then the rest of the student body violently trashed their "right" to speak freely without much administration concern. It is righteous if it is anti-right. Unless it's just not right.
Whatever the reason, Columbia extended an invitation to speak. But when the invitee arrived, Columbia Chancellor Bollinger gave the Iranian leader a verbal thrashing that was just plain rude. I would have no problem if the president were allowed to speak and then in the q & a was completely toasted with the questions. It's not that difficult to reveal a lying hypocrite and bully.
Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch , quoting an AP story, thinks Bollinger looks good and Ahmadinejad looks ignorant and wimpish. Gateway Pundit , live blogging the speech, thinks the Columbia audience took a hit, looking like typical collegiate, immature morons.

"SO FAR... Not a peep from the audience. Not one peep!
The audience is his to lose. He has them in the palm of his hand.
They are cheering him on now!
Good Lord!
* * * * *

They are cheering the genocide promoter again.
This country is in worse shape than we realized.
Now, Ahmadinejad is lying about the treatment of non-Muslims in Iran.
(More applause)
...
Mahmoud is explaining that the Iranian nation is a victim of terrorism.
Mahmoud says his government was the first to fight terrorism.
How sad... He is shifting the blame for terrorism on the US and the audience is eating this crap with serving spoons.
How very sad.
The schools in this country are failing miserably.

Mahmoud is pushing for more research on the Holocaust and the audience is not saying a word- not a peep.

"Serendip concentrates more on his comments about gays and women.

"In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don’t know who has told you that we have it."
...
But as for women, maybe you think that maybe being a woman is a crime. It’s not a crime to be a woman. Women are the best creatures created by God. They represent the kindness, the beauty that God instills in them. Women are respected in Iran."

We in the U S set ourselves up for this kind of circus by trying to continue the charade of being "fair to all." You can't on the one hand try to perpetuate that concept (whether it's actually possible or not) and on the other derogate Ahmadinejad's position as President of a major Middle Eastern power. If one invite's another to one's house, one shant insult the other once the other arrives. Now, whether you SHOULD have invited him in the first place is an entirely different matter.