Ahmadinejad's ranting offers a valuable glimpse

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a laughable performance last Monday at Columbia University. It's too bad he's the head of state of a country diametrically opposed to Western democratic interests and not a struggling comic. He did manage to get a few laughs from the audience -- his claim that homosexuality doesn't exist in his country drew perhaps the loudest guffaws.

More importantly, his talk -- all over the map ramblings, really -- provided an opportunity for many Americans to see first-hand what he's all about. In my opinion, he is equal parts show man, con man and preacher, hiding an ugly and dangerous agenda through constant obfuscation.

Give credit to Columbia Dean John Coatsworth, who, tiring of the circuitous way in which Ahmadinejad couldn't bring himself to answer a question about Iran's desire to see Israel destroyed, shot back, "I think you can answer that question with a simple yes or no."

Of course he can. But he won't, and why should he, not when he knows that to spar with the intellectual and media elite in America is a victory in and of itself. As a New York Times article noted, Ahmadinejad's "bewildering thoughts … gave some ammunition to people who said there was no point in inviting him to speak. Yet his appearance also offered evidence of why he is widely admired in the developing world for his defiance toward Western, especially American, power."

Columbia University came under criticism for agreeing to host the Iranian president. Why provide such a man a prestigious forum from which to pontificate, critics charged.

In my view, Columbia's decision demonstrated to the world what America is all about -- the unhindered exchange of ideas, the freedom to debate, and the strength of our pluralistic society. You'll find none of that in Iran, where journalists and political dissidents are jailed, newspapers shut down, minority communities discriminated against, women's rights activists tortured.

But to hear Ahmadinejad tell it, he's a lover of humankind, a promoter of friendship and brotherhood, a religious man seeking to create a better world for all.

Forget about his country's clandestine pursuit of nuclear weapons, his repeated call to wipe Israel off the map, Iran's support of radical Islamic terrorist groups across the world, the death of American soldiers in Iraq due to Iranian weapons, the hosting of a Holocaust denial conference in Teheran, the sponsorship of a cartoon "contest" about the slaughter of European Jewry, etc, etc.

To which Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wryly observed, "And if you believe that, he has a peaceful civilian nuclear program he wants to sell you."

Unfortunately, too much time was devoted not to Ahmadinejad's ranting, but the aggressive introductory remarks by Columbia President Lee Bollinger, who called him a "petty and cruel dictator." Allowing Ahmadinejad to cry foul and use the "respect" card -- this is not how to treat an invited guest! -- played right into his hands.

The Post's Milbank had a good retort to those who wanted the Iranian president kept from the lights, camera and action. "Without listening to Ahmadinejad, how can the world appreciate how truly nutty he is?"