"When did we become so afraid? And for all the conservative talk that a loss in Iraq will diminish our reputation for strength and thus harm our security, how must it look when some three-foot tall Iranian firebrand keeps trying to dialogue with us and we keep dodging his calls?" - Ezra Klein.
The trouble is: Ahmadinejad is not trying to dialogue with us. He's trying to propagandize by using us. That's a distinction. Inviting someone to speak is not necessary. It's a choice. As it is, the event seems to have confirmed Ezra's hopes. Bollinger did good. And the laughter was priceless. How many times do dictators get laughed at in their own countries?