This is John Batchelor, a conversation with colleague Peter Berkowitz of the Hoover Institution about

Lee Bollinger, long-time president of Columbia University, stepping away from the presidency in

23, and writing an article in Atlantic magazine in some fashion defending universities

as a place of free speech and wide-ranging opinions.

Peter takes this on in a summary form.

It's not about freedom, academic freedom.

It's about intolerance.

The intolerance of the university, says Mr. Berkowitz.

Here, Peter says it perfectly, eloquently, passionately. More of this later tonight.

Lee Bollinger devotes one sentence into, in an article of many thousands of words acknowledging that yes we saw a problem

with anti-Semitism on campus and we saw a problem with enforcing laws on campus but all the rest of

the criticisms he dismisses as the typical populist intolerance for the free thinking that goes on at universities.

This gets things exactly wrong.

Actually, the criticisms of universities have been put forward, especially by conservatives

over the last, let's say, 40 years, have not focused so much on free thinking at universities.

They've focused on the illiberal practices of universities.

They've focused on the attack on free speech,

the attack on due process, the courses that don't teach

a diversity of opinions.

That diversity of opinions one finds in great books

and studying military, diplomatic, religious, constitutional history.

The critics are calling for a university,

...