Talking to Mahmoud: Waste of time

Columbia University’s president, Lee Bollinger, says that we should allow Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a chance to speak. He’s going to ask the tough questions, he says, and force Ahmadinejad to answer them.

The event will be part of the annual World Leaders Forum, the University-wide initiative intended to further Columbia’s longstanding tradition of serving as a major forum for robust debate, especially on global issues.

In order to have such a University-wide forum, we have insisted that a number of conditions be met, first and foremost that President Ahmadinejad agree to divide his time evenly between delivering remarks and responding to audience questions. I also wanted to be sure the Iranians understood that I would myself introduce the event with a series of sharp challenges to the president….

There will be no robust debate. One thing you have to hand to Ahmadinejad is that he’s superb at avoiding questions he doesn’t want to answer, turning the issues around on the questioner, and refusing to answer the tough questions like the ones Bollinger thinks are going to be asked.

Case in point: Ahmadinejad’s 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace last year.

Wallace tried to ask him about Hezbollah’s use of missiles, rockets furnished by Iran, but he wanted to talk about Israel’s attacks with American bombs.

“The laser-guided bombs that have been given to the Zionists and they’re targeting the shelter of defenseless children and women,” the president said.

“Who supports Hezbollah?” Wallace asked. “Who has given Hezbollah hundreds of millions of dollars for years? Who has given Hezbollah Iranian-made missiles and rockets that is making — that are making all kinds …” he continued as he was interrupted.

“Are you the representative of the Zionist regime? Or a journalist?” Ahmadinejad asked Wallace.

Note how easy he accuses someone who contradicts him of being a Zionist. This is typical of Ahmadinejad’s style. He tries to put the spotlight on the person asking the question he won’t answer. It’s easier to dodge and accuse than to stick to the facts of the question, which was Iran’s multi-million dollar investment in Hezbollah over the decades. The question remained unanswered.

Ahmadinejad also likes to play a game where he refuses to acknowledge even obvious facts. Look what he does in his latest 60 Minutes interview, as excerpted by Matt Drudge:

PELLEY: Sir, what were you thinking? The World Trade Center site is the most sensitive place in the American heart, and you must have known that visiting there would be insulting to many, many Americans.

AHMADINEJAD: Why should it be insulting?

PELLEY: But the American people, sir, believe that your country is a terrorist nation, exporting terrorism in the world. You must have known that visiting the World Trade Center site would infuriate many Americans.

AHMADINEJAD: Well, I’m amazed. How can you speak for the whole of the American nation?

PELLEY: Well, the American nation–

AHMADINEJAD: You are representing a media and you’re a reporter. The American nation is made up of 300 million people. There are different points of view over there.

In fact, the reporter is not representing either the media, or the American people. He is asking Ahmadinejad a simple question, and pointing out the nationwide outrage that was sparked by news of his visit to Ground Zero. This is not a difficult thing to have picked up—it was on the internet, in the news, and in the blogosphere at the speed of light. And what’s more, Ahmadinejad knew this. But it serves his purpose to prevaricate, to turn the issue around on a journalist who quite frankly does have a damned good idea of what 300 million Americans think of the president of Iran. He’d have to be an utter moron not to be able to make that connection. But once again, Ahmadinejad is avoiding the question. It’s what he does.

He did the same thing with the Council on Foreign Relations last year:

Martin S. Indyk, who has served twice as the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, and a tour as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, noted he had endeavored during the Clinton administration to work out a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but that Iranian-supported terrorists “did everything possible” to prevent it. The Iranian president again repeated what he has said before, namely that all Palestinians should “decide” their future.

[…] Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said “Iranian journalists are imprisoned and newspapers are closed” and that “elections are not free.” He added: “You speak of the rights of Palestinians but Iran provided rockets to Hezbollah that killed Palestinians in Israel. Would you be willing to change your policies at home?” This led Ahmadinejad to claim that his country was freer than the United States.

“Please don’t allow yourself to be involved in the domestic politics of other countries or there is much more we can all say. If you think you can affect our people with your statements you are wrong. We had free elections—I spoke with people and they chose me. This is a unique, pure democracy, which is impossible in your country. Which country is freer and more democratic? I am ready for an independent discussion on this. Let people decide for themselves. By creating a wind now you are creating a bigger storm,” Ahmadinejad said.

The man prevaricates, dodges, shifts the focus, does not answer the question, and flat-out lies. There is nothing positive that can come from his speaking at Columbia, other than yet another public relations victory for the man from Tehran. I’d love to see him go up against someone like, say, Michelle Malkin, but I know how it would turn out: He would refuse to answer the questions, accuse Michelle of being a Zionist stooge, tell her she doesn’t speak for Americans, and get yet another soapbox for his venom and lies.

There is no value in an Ahmadinejad soapbox at an American university, except, apparently, for the prestige that university thinks the visit brings. I’m of the opinion that the prestige of having an Ahmadinejad visit is right down there in the dirt with a visit from the likes of David Duke—whom Ahmadinejad invited to speak at the Tehran Holocaust denial conference last year. They’re two of a kind on at least one issue: That of Israel, and the Jews.

Bollinger should be ashamed of himself. There are some people who don’t deserve a platform. Ahmadinejad is one of them.