Jan Clausen: The New School Commencement Protest: A Faculty Member's View:

The organized protest began when a small group of students and faculty drafted a petition calling on President Kerrey to withdraw his invitation to McCain. After discussing which of Senator McCain's positions we found most offensive--his career-long disrespect for women's reproductive rights, his stubborn opposition to equal protection under the law for lesbians and gay men, his advocacy of pre-emptive war even before 9/11--we realized that it made little sense to establish a rank order. What about the fact that McCain was cozying up to Jerry Falwell by speaking at Liberty University? That he was using his engagement at the New School to deflect criticism of the Liberty appearance as he revved up his bid for the Republican presidential nomination?