Obama: New York Media Boosted Ahmadinejad
In an interview just now with Brian Lehrer, Barack Obama was asked once again to square his position that he would not have invited Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at Columbia, with his oft-stated assertion that he would meet with him if elected president.
Obama answered by saying that his job as president would be to "look after the interests of the United States and on critical issues like the stabilizing of Iraq, Iran is going to have something to say about that."
He also criticized the New York media for giving Ahmadinejad too much attention. (The Daily News on Monday ran a headline that said "The Evil Has Landed," followed today with "The Evil Weasel.")
"We probably make a mistake when we give him as much attention as the New York press gave him over the last couple of days," said Obama, adding that the "rantings" of Ahmadinejad probably don't deserve all that coverage. "The way to approach petty tyrants is not to inflate them ," Obama said.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 49.4
- 42.8
- Obama +6.6
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 56.4
- 36.3
- +20.1
- McCain
- 50.1
- 41.3
- +8.8
The Columbia president looked positively provincial.
The Iranians are right: you don't invite someone into your house if your plan is to rant at them as your welcoming remarks. That's boorish.
If it's a debate, then set up a forum, hire a moderator and have a real debate, not an ambush under the guise of a welcome.
One thing that most people are unaware of is that President Bollinger was not, in fact, the one to invite him. It was a dean from one of the graduate schools. Because Bollinger did not oppose, the name of the University was used in the invitation. To use his own word, Bollinger ended up looking like the petty one in his introductory speech, which was obviously designed to compensate for the position he found himself in as one who opposed Ahmedinejad, but was limp-wristed in withdrawing the invitation.
The negative attention that this prestigious institution is facing is tragic.