Iranian President Ahmadinejad visits Columbia University Amongst a Wave of Controversy

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the raving lunatic who believes that Israel "should be wiped off the map," and that the Holocaust was a "myth," visited Columbia University in New York City this morning to give a speech. Obviously, this resulted in a torrent of controversy all across the United States -- hundreds near Columbia marched in protest to the Iranian leader's visit. Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, publicly denounced Ahmadinejad immediately prior to the Iranian leader's speech. I found this bizarre in that it was Bollinger who allowed Ahmadinejad's entrance onto his campus. Apparently, Bollinger's rant against the Iranian president resulted in a massive applause, likely augmenting tensions between both parties (U.S. and Iran, or Columbia vs. Ahmadinejad). When asked about homosexuals and women living in Iran, Ahmadinejad insolently replied "we don't have homesexuals."

And yet, there are some people in this world who absolutely admire the guy. Entire factions of people worship him. He's gained respect worldwide as a key Islamic leader. It's disturbing, but at the same time, it makes sense in this day and age that there would be pockets of support for a radical and pugnacious leader such as Ahmadinejad.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/24/us.iran/index.html