I Still Think Yale Wins . . .

First, Yale enrolls a former Taliban official to study. Not to be outdone, Columbia invites Libyan, um, leader Muammar Gadhafi to participate in a symposium on “The Prospects for Democracy” in the latest Ivy League competition to see who can piss off the New York Sun more:

A Columbia University discussion on democracy in the 21st century that included an hour-long speech by the dictator of Libya was co-sponsored by an institute named after his manifesto, which states, “All existing forms of government are undemocratic.”

In the manifesto, called “The Green Book,” Muammar Gadhafi goes on to write that “the masses struggle to eliminate the various forms of existing dictatorships,” which include “one-party, two-party or multi-party systems of government, which all inappropriately call themselves democracies.”

During an hour-long speech delivered via satellite at “The Prospects for Democracy” conference, Mr. Gadhafi explained violently cracking down on political opponents, saying, “In our countries, the opposition takes the form of explosions, assassinations, killing,” he said, according to the AP.

Audience members received the dictator “politely,” the dean of the university’s School for International and Public Affairs, Lisa Anderson, who moderated the event, said. She said his remarks are “what you would expect from the author of ‘The Green Book.'”

The two-day conference was co-sponsored by the university, The Green Book Center, the D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, and al-Fatah University in Libya.

. . .

Ms. Anderson said she hoped the conference marked the beginning of a “scholarly collaboration” between the American and Libyan academic communities.

. . .

When asked what impact the conference may have on Libya’s reputation, Ms. Anderson said, “It didn’t hurt.” She dismissed the notion, though, that it gave Mr. Gadhafi legitimacy. “We’re not in the business of thinking about that,” she said. “I hope we have continued relations with the Libyan academic community. That’s good for us and good for them.”

This also serves to note that writer Azi Paybarah has successfully parlayed his stand against the New York Press’ decision not to run those Danish cartoons into a job at the Sun. Good for him!