Bush: Okay with Iranian Madman Talk at Columbia

Old Bush v. New Bush:

Right after 9/11

Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. (Applause.) From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.
-George W. Bush 9/20/01

2002 State of the Union Address

States like these (North Korea, Iran and Iraq), and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.
-George W. Bush 1/22/02

Today

President Bush said Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia "speaks volumes about really the greatness of America."

He told Fox News Channel that if Bollinger considers Ahmadinejad's visit an educational experience for Columbia students, "I guess it's OK with me."
-George W. Bush 9/24/07

I miss the old George Bush.

UPDATE: Below the fold are reactions from Republican candidates, which are more, shall we say, appropriate.

Teh Fred!

Republican candidate Fred Thompson maintains that, if he were running the country, he would deny Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad entry into the United States.

Rudy and Mitt:

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday he finds it "disturbing" Columbia University invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak before its student body, calling him "the leader of one of the governments that's one of the biggest supporters of terrorism in the world."

"He's denied the Holocaust; he's threatened the future survival of Israel,"
Giuliani said in an interview with Maine television station WMTW.

"I believe he's even threatened at various times American interests and he keeps threatening to develop nuclear capacity."

"So this is not even a close question -- literally thousands and thousands and thousands of people would want to have the right to go to Columbia and speak," Giuliani said.

Meanwhile, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, one of Giuliani's chief rivals for the GOP nomination, had a new radio ad Monday that called on the United Nations Secretary General to revoke his decision to allow the Iranian leader to speak before the body later this week.

"We should be tightening our sanctions against Iran, not welcoming him to the world stage and I've called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to withdraw that invitation," Romney said in the ad set to run in Iowa and South Carolina today and Florida later in the week. "What we should be doing is indicting Ahmadinejad under the Genocide Convention."

McCain:.

"I still find it astonishing and astounding that Columbia University would welcome the president of a country that has not only dedicated itself to a policy of extinction of the state of Israel, but as he is speaking, most of the lethal and explosive devices are being exported from Iran into Iraq, endangering and taking the lives of brave Americans who are serving. Meanwhile, Columbia University's belief in free speech does not extend to Reserve Officers' Training Corps units being allowed on their campus to attract outstanding young men and women to serve in the military."

posted by DrewM. at 04:12 PM

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