Columbia University professors apologizing to Ahmadinejad

Giving new meaning to ivory tower academic isolation without understanding reality or, more prosaically, if they're so smart with all their fancy degrees then why do they act so stupid - why are Columbia University's finest minds acting like a bunch of mindless twits?

An academic delegation of Columbia University professors and deans of faculties plans to visit Tehran to officially apologize to Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
The delegation plans to express regret for the insulting remarks Columbia University President Lee Bollinger directed at Ahmadinejad on September 24 in his introductory speech, the Mehr News Agency correspondent in New York reported.

In the name of academic freedom of speech, Ahmadinejad was invited and subsequently spoke to an appreciative audience at Columbia University in September. President Bollinger's soft introduction merely summarized Ahmadinejad's anti American, anti Jewish/Israel position; these academicians, toiling at one of our country's more prestigious institutions, influencing the next generation of leaders, considers this an insult.

the delegation also plans to visit Iranian universities in various cities and to hold talks with professors and students, and may even sign memoranda of understanding with some universities.

And what type of understanding will this erudite delegation sign with the universities--an understanding that they all agree with Ahmadinejad?