McCain blasts Columbia for letting Ahmadinejad speak

Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) harshly criticized Columbia University on Thursday for allowing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak on its campus.

{mosads}“A man who is directing the maiming and killing of Americans troops should not be given an invitation to speak at an American university,” McCain said.

The university is scheduled to host Ahmadinejad Monday. McCain’s campaign noted that the senator gave the commencement address there in 2006.

McCain joined the rest of the Republican field in attacking the Iranian president for a number of trips he is attempting to make while visiting the United Nations later this month.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani were quick to release harsh denunciations of Ahmadinejad’s request to visit ground zero while in New York.

McCain also noted that Columbia is allowing Ahmadinejad to speak while refusing to allow ROTC on campus.

“Rather than rolling out the red carpet for the leader of a terrorist-sponsoring regime, Columbia should be welcoming the Reserve Officers' Training Corps back on campus to honor the men and women who put their lives on the line every day defending our freedom,” McCain said.

The university is hosting Ahmadinejad for a question-and-answer session with faculty and students as part of its World Leaders Forum, which is sponsored by its School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

John Coatsworth, dean of the school, said in a release from the university that the Iranian president will be challenged on some of his more controversial statements.

“Opportunities to hear, challenge and learn from controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of students for citizenship in a shrinking and still dangerous world,” Coatsworth said. “This is especially true for SIPA students, many of whose careers will require them to confront human rights and security issues throughout the globe.”