Lee Bollinger, perhaps stung by the criticism for inviting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Columbia in the first place, is being chastised for his confrontational and rude introduction of the Iranian president.

Mr. Bollinger's opening speech "was pitched in a deliberately insulting tone, descending almost to the level of schoolyard taunts. (I hope students did not take away the lesson that this is how international politics should be conducted.)," a senior fellow at Columbia's Middle East Institute, Gary Sick, wrote on Gulf 2000, a listserv created to allow academics, analysts, and journalists to discuss Iran and Iraq issues.

"We all know who Ahmadinejad is and what his capabilities are. But where was the courtesy? If Mr. Bollinger knew a bit about the Iranian culture and custom of hospitality, he would have acted differently," a professor of Middle East politics, Mehdi Noorbaksh, wrote on Gulf 2000.

I'd have to agree. If Columbia was looking for moral superiority, Bollinger messed that up good. Its certainly a paradox to Americans, but you can make an enemy in the middle east who will swear a blood oath to kill you for showing you the bottom of your shoe, but while you are in their homes, your safety and comfort become a point of honor. Bollinger's actions were by those standards, the height of uncivilized behavior.

Columbia's administration learned a valuable lesson this week. Bollinger's remarks were almost certainly a concession to a significant contingent of Columbia's alumni who looked askance at the invitation in the first place. He found himself trying to balance three political constituencies--those sympathetic to Iran, those hostile to the invitation and of course the Iranian government. That's not a game you can win.

Perhaps other university administrations will learn to stay out of politics as well...