Lee Bollinger

[Michael Tee]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070928/ap_on_re_us/columbia_bollinger

Good story on the president of Columbia University and the tightrope-walking act he has to perform in order to survive.  All-in-all, I'd have to say that the good points he earned by inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia and letting him speak there outweigh the demerit points he earned by insulting his own guest by a wide margin. 

If scrupulous hospitality to a guest is a distinguishing Middle Eastern cultural trait, outspokenness and lack of ceremony are distinguishing American cultural traits.  I think I was too hard on the guy when I painted him as some kind of barbarian.

[Henny]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070928/ap_on_re_us/columbia_bollinger

Good story on the president of Columbia University and the tightrope-walking act he has to perform in order to survive.  All-in-all, I'd have to say that the good points he earned by inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia and letting him speak there outweigh the demerit points he earned by insulting his own guest by a wide margin. 

If scrupulous hospitality to a guest is a distinguishing Middle Eastern cultural trait, outspokenness and lack of ceremony are distinguishing American cultural traits.  I think I was too hard on the guy when I painted him as some kind of barbarian.

Michael, I agree. I've also heard some pieces of interviews with Bollinger on NPR and I retract my remark the other day where I said he was being disingenious.

[Xavier_Onassis]

He is and was a COLLEGE PRESIDENT. His main job is and was to RAISE MONEY. To do this in NYC, he had to insult Ahmedinejad. Perhaps not to so great a degree. Ahmedinejad is less popular in Iran than he was when he was elected, because he has started to ration electricity and gasoline which is highly subsidized. Inflation in Iran is pretty high. He needs a scapegoat. Who better than the bossy Americans?  So his being insulted and his off the wall comments also served him well.

It is a sure thing that homosexuals are far less apparent in Iran than in NYC. They mostly have the good sense to stay in the closet there. Whether there is the same percentage of gays in Iran as in the US is not ascertainable, becauswee the cultural attitudes are far different.