American Republic Online

The president of Iran is in New York for the UN General Assembly.  During his visit, he stopped by Columbia University to deliver a speech.  After he was accused of being a dictator by the university’s president, Ahmadinejad questioned 9/11 and the Holocaust, denied sponsoring terrorism, and proclaimed Iran free of homosexuals.  Not bad for a university address.

You can find plenty of comments on whether he should have been allowed entry, if Columbia should have invited him, and general comments on his character and style of leadership, so we’ll spare you the same.  I’d like to take a different approach:

Only in America.  Seriously, is there any where else (besides Iran and Venezuela) that Ahmadinejad could have gotten away with the same?  Any where he would have even considered that he could, let alone be allowed?  I’m not trying to be sarcastic here; isn’t America great?!  We have a crazy dictator that spews all sorts of nonsense, and he gets invited to a university as a key note speaker?  Put aside issues around empowering and enabling him, and just consider that question: where else in the world could he do that?   I love this country.

P.S. While Ahmadinejad is out entertaining university students and faculty, he’s on our turf, and we are responsible for his security.  Sounds like a great opportunity to gather intelligence.  Everyone who comes with him, everyone supporting him, meeting with him, etc. will not go unnoticed.  So, thanks for the info big guy!  Enjoy your flight back as you try to figure out any advantages we gained by your desire to come fill our heads with your jibba jabba.