Interesting post from Bob Kerrey on Huffington Post. Many of you saw Sen. John McCain get heckled by a handful of New School graduates at the commencement proceedings just a few days ago. This piece is Kerrey’s defense of his invitation to Sen. McCain and he also offers a defense of the students who protested:
First of all, I made the decision to invite Senator McCain because he is a distinguished and rightly celebrated world leader whose life story is an inspiration to most.
He is also a friend and former colleague with whom I served for 12 years in the U.S. Senate. During that time, we have had our moments of strong agreement and disagreement. The former always feel good and the later always feel like I have just fought with my brother.
Second, an impressive number of my students and faculty disagreed with my decision and urged me to withdraw the invitation. Their objections were largely centered on an assertion that Senator McCain does not represent the values of The New School. After listening to these objections and considering them respectfully, I decided that I would not withdraw my invitation to Senator McCain, in part, because I believe he does represent some of the most important values of The New School and also because I believed our students would benefit from hearing his message.
