memeorandum: Iranian Leader, Calling Introductory Remarks Insulting, Addresses Columbia (Sewell Chan/New York Times)

7:35 PM ET, September 24, 2007

Top Items:

Iran's president on Israel, nukes and gays — NEW YORK (CNN) — Columbia University President Lee Bollinger excoriated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday, going through a long list of documented actions and remarks by the firebrand Iranian leader and his government.

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Right Wing Nut House, Little Green Footballs, CTron, Cox & Forkum, Thought Theater, The American Princess, The Daily Gut, The Van Der Galiën Gazette and Wonkette

Sewell Chan / New York Times:

Iranian Leader, Calling Introductory Remarks Insulting, Addresses Columbia — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran completed his appearance by thanking his audience. "I ask Almighty God to assist all of us to work hand in hand for a future filled with peace, justice and brotherhood," he said.

Discussion: Take Our Country Back, AMERICAN DIGEST, Eunomia, The Washington Note and Gothamist

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: There are no gays in Iran, says Ahmadinejad; Update: Photos — Iran executes gays — I've got Bollinger's surprising, much-lauded speech coming up, but enjoy this as a snack. Some rare derisive laughter from the audience greets this little pearl. — Maybe it was a translation error …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, protein wisdom, Mere Rhetoric, Little Green Footballs, Stop The ACLU and IMAO

T-Steel / The Moderate Voice:

An apology is in order! — Silly, Silly Man! — Those who sharply criticized Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs President Lee C. Bollinger for inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak owe him a galaxy sized apology. You know who you are so I'm not naming names/blogs/media outlets.

Discussion: ShrinkWrapped

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Video: Bollinger's rebuke to a "petty and cruel dictator"; Update: Students cheer Ahmadinejad's rebuke to Bollinger — If you believe the Columbia Spectator, everyone's had a change of heart and the calls of support for having hosted Ahmadinejad are flooding in to the university switchboard.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Israel Matzav, Israpundit and Jihad Watch

Catherine Donaldson-Evans / Fox News:

Ahmadinejad Speaks of Love, Kindess, Beauty and God in Speech to National Press Club — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during his remarks to the National Press Club Monday that the world needs to build a better future "based on peace and security of all humanity," …

Matt / Think Progress:

Hunter: I Will Try To 'Cut Off Funds To Columbia University' Because Of Ahmadinejad Speech — Earlier today, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) said in a statement that if Columbia University President Lee Bollinger "follows through with this hosting of the leader of Iran, I will move in Congress …

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Monthly, Hullabaloo and gohunter08.com

Juan Cole / Salon:
Turning Ahmadinejad into public enemy No. 1

Discussion: CommonDreams.org, DownWithTyranny!, Prairie Weather and Tammy Bruce

Michelle Malkin:
Mahmoudapalooza: The madman comes calling; Update: A Columbia/nutjob quid pro quo?

Vanderleun / AMERICAN DIGEST:
Bollinger Rope-A-Dopes Ahmadinejad and Many Conservative Blogs …

Discussion: Associated Press, Riehl World View, City Room, Townhall.com, Blue Crab Boulevard and VodkaPundit

Michael Slackman / New York Times:
U.S. Focus on Ahmadinejad Puzzles Iranians

Discussion: Ezra Klein, TIME, Liberty Street, CNN, Feministe, The Van Der Galiën Gazette and Open Left

Jacob Gershman / New York Sun:
Legislatures May Act on Columbia

Discussion: Salon, Think Progress, The Volokh Conspiracy, On Deadline, The Anonymous Liberal and NY Daily News

NY Daily News:
Iranian madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad walks among us

Discussion: City Room, Gothamist and FarsNewsAgency

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Clinton campaign kills negative story — Early this summer, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for president learned that the men's magazine GQ was working on a story the campaign was sure to hate: an account of infighting in Hillaryland. — So Clinton's aides pulled a page from the book …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The American Pundit, Wizbang and MSNBC

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters: Hillary Against The Free Press

Bill Sammon / Examiner:

Examiner Exclusive: President predicts GOP will keep control of White House after 'tough race' in 2008 — Washington, D.C. (Map, News) - President Bush, for the first time, is predicting that Hillary Rodham Clinton will defeat Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries.

Discussion: The Carpetbagger Report, Brendan Nyhan, Washington Wire, The Corner, Scholars and Rogues, DownWithTyranny!, TPM Election Central, Associated Press, CNN Political Ticker, The Politico, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, The Debate Link, The Swamp and The Trail

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo: DON'T MISS THAT MEME

CNN Political Ticker: The Donald: Time for Bush to go into 'hiding'

David Paul Kuhn / The Politico:

Podhoretz secretly urged Bush to bomb Iran — President Bush and Karl Rove sat listening to Norman Podhoretz for roughly 45 minutes at the White House as the patriarch of neoconservatism argued that the United States should bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. — The meeting was not on the president's public schedule.

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM), MSNBC, Death and The Raw Story

Satyam / Think Progress:
Podhoretz Granted Secret Access To Lobby Bush On 'The Case For Bombing Iran'

Discussion: The Newshoggers, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Daily Kos

The Raw Story:

Chemical weapon disaster 'led to Syria strike' — Israel did not strike a nuclear weapons facility in Syria on Sept. 6, instead striking a cache of North Korean missiles, current and former intelligence officials say. — American intelligence sources familiar with key events leading …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Booman Tribune, Hot Air and Liberty Pundit

Digby / Hullabaloo:

Strike! … Amen brother. — GM says it needs to cut costs. Perhaps it would like to work with the Democrats and the Unions to get universal health insurance. It would be good for their workers, good for the country and good for the bottom line. — .

Discussion: Eschaton, Daily Kos, All Spin Zone and Shakespeare's Sister

Faiz / Think Progress:

Bush: We Can't Spend $22 Billion On America Because We Need $200 Billion For Iraq War — The Democratic leadership in Congress is set to pass a host of domestic funding bills that would exceed Bush's request by $22 billion. The extra funding would help go towards veterans health care …

Discussion: White House, New York Times, Redstate and The Carpetbagger Report

Little Green Footballs:

Daily Kos: 45% Want Ahmadinejad As US President — A Daily Kos diarist has put up a poll asking the question, Daily Kos: Who would you rather have lead, Bush or Ahmadinejad? — Bush is actually ahead. But not by much. — (Hat tip: Killgore Trout.)

Discussion: Death, QandO, Outside The Beltway, NewsBusters.org and Tammy Bruce

Justin Hart / My Man Mitt.com:

If Columbia is not ashamed of the decision... ... then why did they blacken out the podium and the backdrop? — See these heavily-branded events from the same Columbia U. World Leader Forum: — Dr. Ivo Sanader, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, — Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia

Discussion: Hot Air

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

Democrats Answer to Republican Resolution Regarding MoveOn.org — Sens. Jim Webb (Va.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) and every other Democrat who has served in uniform should go the Senate floor together and call for a vote on a resolution similar to the following:

Discussion: Make Them Accountable