Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in New York today. The front page headline in the New York Daily News this morning read "The Evil Has Landed" in massive block letters ('Evil' was in red) and the New York Post called him "madman Iran prez" and "guest of dishonor".

Coverage of Ahmadinejad's visit in the New York Times was, predictably, significantly less sensational and more professional. The Times ran a story on page A4 purportedly discussing the head of state's visit to the U.S. from a Iranian perspective, as well as a story on page B1 (The Metro Section) about New York City's often reluctant diplomacy and hospitality towards 'controversial' visitors. There was no front page coverage.

Ahmadinejad has recently sparked controversy in the Big Apple after he requested permission to lay a commemorative wreath at Ground Zero during his visit.

All the hype surrounding Ahmadinejad-- today or otherwise-- is unfounded, however, when a few important factors are taken into account:

1.) Though Ahmadinejad is the highest directly elected official in Iran, his power and influence pales in comparison to that of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It appears that Ahmadinejad is more of a figurehead than anything else.

2.) Ahmadinejad's inflammatory remarks allegedly calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map" (and repeated ad nauseam by the mainstream media) may have been largely exaggerated and mis-represented.

3.) Mainstream pundits and politicians in the U.S. greatly exaggerate (again, ad nauseam) Iran's potential nuclear threat.

4.) If the 'principle of universality' is accepted (the principle that we should hold ourselves to the same standards that we apply to others), Ahmadinejad and his government's threat to the West or to 'stability in the Middle East', real or perceived, is laughable when compared to the actions of the U.S. regime. Who are Bush and Co. to deny Iran their right to nuclear weapons when the United States itself stockpiles nearly ten thousand nuclear warheads (not to mention that the U.S. is the only nation in history to use nuclear weapons on their fellow humans, and against civilian targets no less)? One would be hard pressed to find a more explicit example of hypocrisy.

Watch Ahmadinejad's speech:
More videos from Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia University.