Tripping over welcome mat for Iranian leader

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, answered questions at a news conference last month at the UN. (CHIP EAST/REUTERS)

JEFF JACOBY is correct in his criticism of groups extending a welcome to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ("A US welcome mat for Ahmadinejad," Op-ed, Oct. 1).

A head of state who openly calls for the destruction of a member state of the United Nations and who preaches blatant anti-Semitism in its most virulent form does not deserve to receive a public platform. The purpose of providing such platforms is usually stated as fact-finding, but since the facts are already well known, the end result is the illusion of increased credibility, which only serves to reinforce such unacceptable behavior.
KURT LINDEN, Wayland

JEFF JACOBY'S position that Barack Obama is out of line in declaring that he would meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions is a relic from the Cold War. International relations has moved on, and Jacoby must revise his position.

What he misjudges is that our world is no longer carved out solely by nation-states; conflict now exists between legitimate and illicit networks, and even though many of Ahmadinejad's positions are offensive, he is a central figure in the Middle East and cannot be ignored.

The longer the United States waits for him to meet our preconditions, the longer the time bomb ticks.
ALEX GARLICK, Middlebury, Vt.