Submitted by Alex, Sep 23, 2007 20:05

Bollinger claims that there is some important relationship between the invitation that was issued to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Columbia's commitments to the free exchange of ideas. What is this relationship? Do the aforementioned commitments require the invitation? If not, and thus not inviting Ahmadinejad is also consistent with these commitments, then what was the reason for the invitation? Moreover, that ideas can be exchanged at all is an acknowledgement of the fact that ideas can be debated and analyzed without the presence of particular proponents of the ideas in question. Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's ideas can be debated, analyzed and otherwise exchanged without him, what was the reason for the invitation?

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