UPDATE 6:20 p.m.

Her name was Shiri Negari, and she was beautiful. Her photo appeared on a poster at today's Columbia University protest. Michelle Malkin, who has a photo of the poster, says: "Absolute moral authority."

Reader comments on Ahmadinejad's visit to New York.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.

Hot Air supplies video of Bollinger's much-lauded introduction:

UPDATE 5:35 p.m.

Columbia University journalism grad student Garin Hovannisian was on the scene:

"In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country," Ahmadinejad explained. The laughter of thousands of Columbia students floated across South Lawn, where a big screen had been set up to accomodate the overspill. It was natural, I suppose, that the tragic truth of Ahmadinejad's statement was not registered: Homosexuals do not exist in Iran because Iran routinely hangs homosexuals.

-- RSM

UPDATE 5:20 p.m.

The Washington Times' Betsy Pisik files an updated report from Columbia University:

Who knew that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could be such a captivating speaker?

The Iranian president, known for his circuitous Biblical and historical references that never really get to the point, held Columbia University's students and faculty for almost 90 minutes this afternoon as he rambled over everything from Palestinian pain to the horror of terrorism to the hegemony of the three western nations on the UN Security Council.

He assured the crowd that the Holocaust really happened, even as he denied the existance of homosexuals in Iran.

"We do not have this problem. Who told you that?" he asked rhetorically, answering -- or not -- a student's query about why so many women and homosexuals have been put to death in Iran.

That line a got a lot laughs, just as the reference to the "monolithically selfish superpower" drew hearty boos.

Of course he defended Tehran's uranium enrichment efforts as peaceful precursors to nuclear power, a resource his country needs.

In the space of an hour, Mr. Ahmadinejad hit all the emotions from playfulness to scholarly to what appeared to be genuine hurt.

Mr. Ahmadinejad delayed his prepared remarks to chastise "the dear gentleman" who introduced him to the spill-over audience with unusually harsh language.

Columbia President Lee Bollinger -- surely amping his skepticsm in response to a week's worth of vilifying editorials and headlines like the NY Daily News priceless "The Evil Has Landed " -- roasted Mr. Ahmadinejad's historic denial of the Holocaust as "brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated."

In defending Colombia's decision to invite the Iranian leader to speak, Mr. Bollinger noted, "Mr. Ahmadinejad, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," a line that drew sustained applause.

There were a few supporters of the appearance, but the opposition was far louder and more visible.

Iranian expats waved the green-white and orange flag of their homeland, insisting he does not represent the Iranian people.

And at least 200 students lounged in the early autumn sunshine to listen to speakers denounce Mr . Ahmadinejad at a campus-approved microphone on the central quad.

Steven Michael Gruber stood outside Columbia's Broadway gates, where police were checking the student ID of every entrant.

He had taped his 1982 Columbia Master's diploma in international affairs to a placard and was offering to sell it for 50 cents.

"Yes I do believe in freedom of speech," Mr. Gruber said, but he is protesting the university's invitation "to a man who is an enemy of the United States."

He said the right of free speech should not be extended to "people who want to kill me, or countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the United States." Free speech is not honored at Colubia anyway, he added, because the Minutemen were not allowed to speak on campus and ROTC recruiters are not welcomed either.

At least one counter-protester has hung a poster with a picture of President Bush morphing into a mushroom cloud, labeled "the real nuclear threat."

One woman student said of Mr. Ahmadinejad: "I would like to hear what he has to say before I hate him."

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.

The Columbia Spectator reports that "the University is now being flooded with calls to congratulate Columbia on the Ahmadinejad invitation" -- perhaps a reaction to President Bollinger's introduction ... ?

Meanwhile, the blog fury continues.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m.

Hot Air brings the video of Ahmadinejad's denial that there are any homosexuals in Iran:

The Columbia audience laughed.

-- RSM

UPDATE 3:20 p.m.

Associated Press reports Bollinger's introduction:

Ahmadinejad smiled as Columbia President Lee Bollinger took him to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy and Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.

"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said, to loud applause.

He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and ignorant.

"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous," Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history."

National Review's Jonah Goldberg was impressed:

I was against the invitation, I still am. I am no great fan of Bollinger's. But, I must give credit where due. His opening statement is about as hard-hitting and tough as one could hope for. ... If the video of Bollinger's statement is distributed throughout the Middle East in general and Iran in particular it could have a very positive effect.

UPDATE 2:40 p.m.

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez was equally impressed with Bollinger's hard-hitting introduction. Michelle Malkin says she's "withholding judgment." Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch links with "Ahmadinejadapalooza." Also linked by WorldViews.

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.

Columbia University President Lee Bollinger has been criticized for being soft on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but ... wow ... that introduction didn't pull any punches.

UPDATE 2 p.m.

Associated Press gets an exclusive interview:

"Iran will not attack any country," Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press after being asked if it would ever make a first strike against Israel. Iran has always maintained a defensive policy, not an offensive one, he said, and has "never sought to expand its territory."

He said he did not believe the U.S. was preparing for war.

"I believe that some of the talk in this regard arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy failures over Iraq."

In a 30-minute interview at a hotel near the United Nations, Ahmadinejad struck a consistently soothing tone. He said Iranian foreign policy was based on humanitarian concerns and seeking justice, and that it is not in its interest to stir up problems for its neighbors.

UPDATE 1:10 p.m.

Michelle Malkin has photos.

UPDATE 12:50 p.m.

The Washington Times' Betsy Pisik is at the scene as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to speak at Columbia University, and protesters are making their feelings known:

Steven Michael Gruber is selling his 1982 Columbia Master's diploma in international affairs for 50 cents in protest of an appearance at the university today by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr. Gruber is one of about 200 demonstrators who have gathered on the uptown Manhattan campus ahead of Mr. Ahmadinejad's arrival for an early afternoon questino-and-answer session with students and faculty.

"Yes I do believe in freedom of speech," Mr. Gruber says, but he is protesting the university's invitation "to a man who is an enemy of the United States."

"Columbia is a place of free speech, but not to people who want to kill me, or countries that do not have diplomatic relations with the United States," he adds. He says free speech is not honored anyway at Columbia, which refused to allow a leader of the Minutemen to speak on campus and does not permit ROTC representation on campus.

A tumultuous but peaceful crowd had already gathered to await the Iranian leader's appearance, waving flyers and large Iranian flags on the sidewalk outside the gates to the campus at 116th Street and Broadway. At least one counter-protester has hung a poster with a picture of President Bush morphing into a mushroom cloud, labeled "the real nuclear threat."

Security officers are checking the ID of everyone seeking to enter the campus, where another 200 or more protesters are gathered on the steps in front of the main administration building. A large screen television monitor has been posted on a lawn to accomodate those who cannot get into the Journalism Building to see the speech.

The daily student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator, has published an eight-page special insert in which students debate the decision to let Mr. Ahmadinejad speak.

One woman student said: "I would like to hear what he has to say before I hate him."

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.

Not only does he get invited to Columbia, he gets a long interview with "60 Minutes":

Part 2 of the interview here. Hat-tip to Pam at Atlas Shugs, who reminds Columbia University:

Ayn Rand said evil is made possible by the sanction you give it, withdraw your sanction.

Meanwhile, the dean of Columbia Law School weighs in:

A high-quality academic discussion depends on intellectual honesty but, unfortunately, Mr. Ahmadinejad has proven himself, time and again, to be uninterested in whether his words are true. Therefore, my personal opinion is that he should not be invited to speak. Mr. Ahmadinejad is a reprehensible and dangerous figure who presides over a repressive regime, is responsible for the death of American soldiers, denies the Holocaust, and calls for the destruction of Israel. It would be deeply regrettable if some misread this invitation as lending prestige or legitimacy to his views.

-- RSM

Just checked my e-mail inbox again, and was once more disappointed to find that Columbia University President Lee Bollinger still has not invited me to lecture students there. I suppose President Bollinger has similarly disappointed many others -- rumor has it that Ann Coulter is crushed by Bollinger's refusal to honor her with the distinction he has bestowed on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Michelle Malkin -- who also hasn't gotten any invites from Bollinger -- reports that anti-Ahmadinejad protests started Sunday, a day in advance of the Iranian VIP's appearance at Columbia.

Over the weekend, I reported (and blogged) about Columbia alumnus David Horowitz's reaction to Ahmadinejad's appearance at Horowitz's alma mater:

"Why are they inviting the Persian Hitler to Columbia? ... It's a disgrace. ... What Columbia is doing is giving moral support to genocide, and as an alumni, I am deeply ashamed." ...

University President Lee Bollinger has said the Ahmadinejad invitation is in keeping with "Columbia's long-standing tradition of serving as a major forum for robust debate."

Naming a list of current and former Bush administration officials, Mr. Horowitz said, "Just ask yourself ... do you think any of those people would be invited to Columbia by the president of the university under the pretext of a 'robust debate?' "

In surveying reaction to the Adhmadinejad-Columbia affair -- which continues to roil the blogosphere -- two points stand out quite prominently.

First, reaction to Ahmadinejad seems to be filtered through a domestic political lens. Those who hate President Bush and oppose the war in Iraq tend to describe opposition to Ahmadinejad as neocon warmongering ginned up by the "Republican noise machine." Consider for example, this "open letter" from a Columbia anti-war group:

We fear the demonization of Ahmadinejad, because we think this demonization contributes to the likelihood of war. In the current climate, with many on the political right in the U.S. and Israel pushing for air strikes, a campaign against Ahmadinejad is dangerous, regardless of the intentions of most involved. . . .

The right-wing media, from Fox News to the New York tabloids, has already jumped on the event, and will spin it to favor their cause.

This kind of "enemy-of-my-enemy" logic led one DailyKos diarist to write about her "little crush" on Ahmadinejad:

There are certainly many things about Ahmadinejad that I abhor -- locking up dissidents, executing of gay folks, denying the fact of the Holocaust, potentially adding another dangerous nuclear power to the world and, in general, stifling democracy. Even still, I can't help but be turned on by his frank rhetoric calling out the horrors of the Bush Administration and, for that matter, generations of US foreign policy preceding.

Speaking of "frank rhetoric," Allahpundit at Hot Air responds:

Keep it up, boys. There's attack ads in them thar hills.

Beyond partisan politics, however, is a second obvious point about the reaction to the Ahmadinejad-Columbia affair, namely the way it is being framed as a campus free-speech issue, as if the Iranian president were just another outspoken "activist" type on the college lecture circuit. For example, here is an "open letter" from Columbia's student leadership:

In a university setting, no view is too disreputable to be excluded -- the goal of a university is to hear and present a wide array of opinions so that they may be challenged and debated in the spirit of free speech and the pursuit of knowledge. . . .

The entire campus community must have the opportunity to actively engage President Ahmadinejad in order to achieve true academic freedom and discussion.

Debate, discussion, free speech, "true academic freedom" -- am I the only one who detects in this language the implicit idea that Ahmadinejad has a First Amendment right to lecture at Columbia, and that any criticism of Bollinger's decision to invite Ahmadinejad amounts to an infringement of "true academic freedom"?

By that line of reasoning, anyone who hasn't been invited to lecture at Columbia has been denied their right to free speech, and if Bollinger invited Charles Manson or Sirhan Sirhan to deliver next year's commencement address, no friend of "true academic freedom" could dare complain.

Meanwhile, in not entirely unrelated news:

The U.S. military accused Iran on Sunday of smuggling surface-to-air missiles and other advanced weapons into Iraq for use against American troops. . . .

Military spokesman Rear Adm. Mark Fox said U.S. troops were continuing to find Iranian-supplied weaponry including the Misagh 1, a portable surface-to-air missile that uses an infrared guidance system.

Other advanced Iranian weaponry found in Iraq includes the RPG-29 rocket-propelled grenade, 240 mm rockets and armor-piercing roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, Fox said.

Surely, Columbia students will hear "a wide array of opinions" from Ahmadinejad about that. Expect updates.

-- Robert Stacy McCain, assistant national editor, The Washington Times