Poetic Justice: A Day of Denial

Today was a great day for America. A great many won't see it that way, but I rarely agree with most people anyway. Today a large number of men and women in denial turned their attention New York City, and have paraded their denial as a comfort zone in dealing with the reality of the day.

The major players include Columbia University, in denial of American history and the role of the US Military and in denial of any critical issue facing the United States highlighted by anyone not firmly planted on the left side of politics. Another major player includes Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who is in denial of not only the Holocaust, in denial that homosexuals actually exist in a country like Iran, and in denial that Iran is a source of funding for terrorism in the world including inside Iraq against US soldiers. We also have the right in America, in denial that Columbia is exercising its American blood earned right to free speech for allowing even a despicable tyrant like Ahmadinejad to speak in an open forum, and in denial that free speech could be anything other than a propaganda campaign. Finally, we have the left in America, in denial regarding the role of Iran in exporting terrorism to places like Lebanon or Iraq, in denial of what Ahmadinejad actually says in a public forum, and generally in denial regarding the role and responsibility of academia in not only the exercise of free speech, but the analysis of the speech itself.

While there is a side debate whether or not Ahmadinejad should have been given a forum, and yes I understand that Columbia University is allowing a dictator to speak but denies access to the US military, I still respect their freedom to make the choice regarding whom they can invite to speak. That is how freedom works.

You can read the full transcript here.

My opinion. The media is going to be able to report this however they want. The right is correct, this will be propaganda for President Ahmadinejad, his remarks on the Palestinian situation will play very well among many in the Arab media. It is also unlikely that most people in the Middle East will even hear about Columbian President Lee Bollinger's remarks. However, I still think the exercise was well worth it.

The left is also right, President Ahmadinejad was invited as a guest to Columbia University and was ambushed by Columbian President Lee Bollinger, and to be honest the left has every right to be critical of Bollinger for being a hypocrite. There is no question Bollinger proved to be a hollow man for using the comfort of his bully pulpit on campus to belittle President Ahmadinejad. It says a lot that the man allows President Ahmadinejad to speak but doesn't allow the US military on campus because of the "don't ask, don't tell" law forced on the military by Congress.

The event on Monday did do several things. First, it is impossible for anyone to say that President Ahmadinejad didn't have an opportunity to make his case to the American people. He avoided most questions though, attempting to turn the questions around to advocate his position
on popular political issues on the Middle East. In the Middle East, this probably will go over very well. President Ahmadinejad was in denial regarding the accusations made by a number of credible sources, and sounded silly and somewhat stupid in spinning responses to very important direct questions. On TV, and you can see the video on C-SPAN, the man really looks and sounds pathetic, something of an intellectual lightweight. In the forum of thought, ideas, and debate, avoiding questions and making statements that are completely void of reality, it will not play well over the vast majority of America, no matter how someone tries to spin it otherwise. There are simply no English sound bytes for any questions.

Second, anyone who attempts to engage the realm of ideas in defense of Iran was hurt today. In both Europe and Asia, free thinkers will have access to the entirety of what occurred today at Columbia University, and will be able to make their own judgments. Regardless of ones feelings on what Columbian President Lee Bollinger did with his opening statements, one cannot ignore that the statements were made, the criticism was addressed directly, the questions were posed, and Iranian President Ahmadinejad had no answer and could do nothing but dismiss and ignore criticism, he had no answers. It reinforces the idea that in an open forum, when free speech is allowed in the form of tough, honest questions, the truth will be revealed.

Finally, there were big winners and losers today. America won. The war taking place might be physically in the Middle East in multiple theaters, but intellectually the war regarding the dangers and threats to security in America is being engaged here in the US. The winners and losers of that debate of dangers and security is clear, the diarists are in denial, when the entire event is largely ignored by the front pages, silence speaks loud and clear.

Columbia University is a clear loser. A University that has a clear anti-American biased attempts to exercise a uniquely American value like absolute freedom of public speech, and gets nothing but criticism for it by the very anti-American crowd that it best represents.

Partisans are losers. The right did not get what they wanted, President Ahmadinejad was able to attend and speak at Columbia University. Ironically they got exactly what they least expected but needed the most, a realistic debate regarding the US policy for Iran. The left got exactly what they wanted, a potentially receptive forum for President Ahmadinejad, and ironically the left got exactly what the left needed the most, a realistic debate regarding the US policy for Iran.

I call that poetic justice.