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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 14:41 23/09/2007 Let Ahmadinejad speak By Bradley Burston The Anti-Defamation League has called on Columbia University to cancel a scheduled Tuesday appearance by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in which the visiting Iranian president is to answer questions posed by students and faculty. "It is inappropriate and a perversion of the concept of freedom of speech," said ADL National Director Abraham Foxman. "Columbia University has no moral imperative, no legal imperative, no social imperative to give Ahmadinejad a platform, which he would not give them in Tehran. Why give him the credibility and the respectability of a major institution of higher learning? What message does that send to the students? This is not what the First Amendment is all about." It could be argued that this is, in fact, exactly what the First Amendment is all about. But let us, for the moment, lay that debate aside. Advertisement Let us look, instead, at what the Iranian president represents for us, the Jews who live in the state he has suggested he'd like to see erased. Let's face it. We need all the help we can get, on the diplomatic sphere as well as in the area of international understanding of our defense concerns. That's where our man in Tehran comes in. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is simply one of Israel's premier diplomatic and security assets. His expressed views make Israel look pragmatic, clear-eyed, non-paranoid. He has denied away the Nazi Holocaust as a myth. He has, as well, denounced Israel for Nazi-like actions. Referring to last year's Lebanon war, he was quoted as saying "Just like Hitler, the Zionist regime is just looking for a pretext for launching military attacks" and "is now acting just like him." And, just for good measure, he added: "What this regime is doing is even worse than Genghis Khan." He is unparalleled. Asked by CBS whether he considered his stated desire to visit Ground Zero as an insult to the American people, he asked why it should be considered as such. We couldn't have created the man if we had tried. He is everything we want in a neo-Haman nemesis. His remarks have been such that it was no problem for Dan Gillerman, Israel's UN ambassador, to suggest in an address to the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organization, that a Ahmadinejad visit Ground Zero was comparable to a visit by a resurrected Hitler to Auschwitz. Let the man talk. Let the Iranian president speak his mind, all he wants. You never know what favor he's going to do us next. Recent blogs: Yom Kippur 2007: Jews who hate Reform Jews To the readers whom I have wronged Special Place in Hell Awards, 5768 Let the settlers stay where they are Bookmark to del.icio.us Hitler to 'turn in grave' Barenboim's Israeli-Palestinian orchestra are to play at an arena built by the Nazi leader. Old Hebron's last Jew Yosef Ezra, whose family only left the city in 1947, testifies for its Jewish residents today.   1.   Let Him Explain 11:47  |  Walid 23/09/07   2.   Reality: it is not consequential whether he talks - too late 11:50  |  17 23/09/07   3.   We will hear you 11:57  |  American 23/09/07   4.   Ahmadinejad .. Amazing Nerves 12:03  |  Natallie Durson 23/09/07   5.   # 3 - Occupation - The US still has occupation army in Germany 12:09  |  17 23/09/07   6.   To American 12:18  |  S 23/09/07   7.   Freedom of speech is freedom of speech 12:20  |  Clickfool 23/09/07   8.   Free speech 12:30  |  Richard Witty 23/09/07   9.   AHMEDINEJAD: A NEW WORLD LEADERSHIP 12:31  |  indrajaya 23/09/07   10.   #7the yellow streak hasnt got freedom of speech in the uk 12:39  |  victor hardman 23/09/07   11.   #9 12:43  |  indrajaya 23/09/07   12.   Natallie Durson 12:57  |  Walid 23/09/07   13.   He`ll Put the Students to Sleep zzzzzzzzzz 13:08  |  Klaudia 23/09/07   14.   Silly article by burston &indrajaya is right,iran has emerged as 13:10  |  lakshmi 23/09/07   15.   modern leaderships like Chavez, Syria and Bolivia. 13:11  |  Gabe 23/09/07   16.   #3 "American" - first or second generation 13:24  |  Yonatan 23/09/07   17.   N0 7 - Freedom of speech etc. 13:32  |  Palestinian Brit 23/09/07   18.   The Israeli lobby and AJ`s real words. 13:33  |  Abba 23/09/07   19.   Exactly my point 13:35  |  Tess 23/09/07   20.   I only wish 13:39  |  stork 23/09/07   21.   Preparations for the BIG VISIT at Columbia U 13:41  |  Klaudia 23/09/07   22.   To Indifferent Natallie 13:43  |  Bob 23/09/07   23.   Natalie: would you like to give him the "Intifada N.Y."-T-shirt? 13:48  |  Just wondering 23/09/07   24.   A few cartoons will do 13:55  |  stork 23/09/07   25.   Freedom of Speech for American Citizens 14:00  |  Jane 23/09/07   26.   Iran and the Jews 14:15  |  christoph 23/09/07   27.   Klaudia 14:21  |  Walid 23/09/07   28.   Ahmadinejad 14:35  |  CHGODMK 23/09/07   29.   #25, Jane 14:53  |  Hannah 23/09/07   30.   That`s a tpugh one 15:12  |  Ofer 23/09/07   31.   I don`t understand the problem? 15:12  |  Chris Linthwaite 23/09/07   32.   #31 chris to the forefront of understanding farsi rhetoric 15:21  |  victor hardman 23/09/07   33.   Hannah 15:26  |  Walid 23/09/07   34.   Free speech 15:27  |  Daniel W 23/09/07   35.   YOU ARE GOOD, COLUMBIA, BRAVO 15:35  |  indrajaya 23/09/07   36.   To Walid ...Thanks for my laugh for the day 15:54  |  Klaudia 23/09/07   37.   A golden opportunity 15:57  |  Tzfonit 23/09/07   38.   # 7 Clickfool.Freedom of speech is freedom of speech 16:00  |  KATH` 23/09/07   39.   Clickfool: why the cartoon outrage? Freedom of speech is freedom 16:09  |  Just Wondering 23/09/07   40.   Chris, Scared? Shucks? 16:09  |  Barry 23/09/07   41.   Klaudia 16:14  |  Walid 23/09/07   42.   talk is cheap 16:15  |  albert paul ortiz 23/09/07   43.   Ahmadinejad Speaking is Problematic 16:16  |  CHGODMK 23/09/07   44.   Tzfonit 16:18  |  Walid 23/09/07   45.   WARNING ! WARNING ! Columbia Students Beware 16:19  |  Klaudia 23/09/07   46.   # 21 Klaudia. I can visualize something even better.If Only.. 16:26  |  KATH` 23/09/07   47.   CHGODMK 16:26  |  Walid 23/09/07   48.   arabist apologists and Leftists blinded by the light 16:36  |  peter 23/09/07   49.   Walid... I`m just asking for a lttle honesty in advertising 16:36  |  Klaudia 23/09/07   50.   18 - Abba 16:39  |  Eric 23/09/07   51.   to # 18 Abba 16:42  |  VoiceOfReason 23/09/07   52.   Freedom of speech and lst amendment 16:48  |  Ethel 23/09/07   53.   Ya Walid Let`s make an agreement 16:52  |  Tzfonit 23/09/07   54.   poor walid needs an explanation 16:56  |  peter 23/09/07   55.   Freedom of religion 16:56  |  Ethel 23/09/07   56.   He is not stupid He will quote Carter and Walt- Mearsheimer 16:58  |  Shalom Freedman 23/09/07   57.   Genghis Khan remark 16:58  |  Ethel 23/09/07   58.   Genghis Khan remark 17:04  |  Ethel 23/09/07   59.   Tzfonit 17:07  |  Walid 23/09/07   60.   Walid 17:16  |  CHGODMK 23/09/07   61.   Eric on "who owns America" 17:19  |  not me! 23/09/07   62.   Walid: No Need to Worry 17:20  |  CHGODMK 23/09/07   63.   1st amendmentcenter.org - read 17:49  |  Ethel 23/09/07   64.   Wrong reasons all around the Jewish mindset 17:51  |  Tosefta 23/09/07   65.   LOL - Lox of luck 17:51  |  Jeff 23/09/07   66.   # 56 Shalom Freedman. No doubt He will... 17:53  |  KATH` 23/09/07   67.   irans pres. regularly says israel should be wiped off the earth 17:59  |  yahn goodey 23/09/07   68.   Freedom of Speech only in democratic country 18:01  |  Cristo 23/09/07   69.   Walid,I have been following some of your posts on this thread,and 18:05  |  lakshmi 23/09/07   70.   # 43 CHGODMK. Aye There`s The Rub..Translations.. 18:07  |  KATH` 23/09/07   71.   ETHEL 18:09  |  Just Wondering 23/09/07   72.   Laksmi is another worshipper of denier 18:25  |  Cristo 23/09/07   73.   He is not a U.S. citizen 18:34  |  Ethel 23/09/07   74.   # 69 lakshmi on Her Usual Misinterpretations. 18:42  |  KATH` 23/09/07   75.   Controversy freedom of speech 18:43  |  Ethel 23/10/07   76.   Tosefta aka "Archangel Uriel" 18:46  |  Danite 23/09/07   77.   Dar-al-harb 18:53  |  Mackie 23/09/07   78.   Not him but "progressives liberals" are the problem 18:54  |  Gene 23/09/07   79.   Controversial 19:12  |  Ethel 23/09/07   80.   Controversial speech 19:16  |  Ethel 23/09/07   81.   Ethel in Chicago 19:22  |  CHGODMK 23/09/07   82.