Though we’ve already somewhat slyly commented on President Obama’s recent withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, we’ve decided that the event deserves a more thorough discussion. The U.S. has maintained a presence in Iraq since 2003, a.k.a. when most current undergrads were still in elementary and middle school. This war has dominated America’s foreign attention for most of our lives, and memory of the war is sure to have a lasting impact on our futures. For that reason, we’d like to offer Columbians the chance to talk about it in a more focused way. Here, we present to you the responses from four different campus political organizations. We hope that they serve as a launching point for your discussions in the comments.

Columbia University Military Veterans:

“The troop withdrawal from Iraq is a topic of immediate political interest, the merits of which will undoubtedly be subject of debate. However, geopolitical and strategic implications aside, our greatest challenges lie in managing the welfare of veterans and their families. Though they represent a sliver of the American population, they have shouldered the burden of our nation’s wars. To many Americans the troop withdrawal brings closure, but to many veterans the struggle to readjust to American society continues.”

Read on for comments from Dems, Reps, and CPU

Sarah Camiscoli is a shoe-leather journalist! She sat in on the College Dems vs College Republicans final debate of the year, and everyone yelled a lot.

The chalkboard in Fayerweather 313 blared: “Resolved: The public school system should be replaced with vouchers.” This was to be a long evening. Before the debate got underway, the College Republican moderator noted that this was the last debate of the year. “It’s been fun while it lasted,” he said. He then introduced Will, a passionate advocate for the abolition of public education, as someone who claims to have “killed a goat with his bare hands.”

Opening with the statement that “everyone knows” that current education system “is broken” and offering statistics such as the “increase in 185% in real dollars” that have been “thrown at” students in low income areas with “no effect,” the Republicans claimed that they wanted to offer “parents a choice” by enrolling each eligible student in the United States into a “radical voucher program” that would offer each family a sort of subsidized ticket to assist them in affording an education that would no longer be free. Read more…

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The Columbia Political Union hosted another in its series of debates between the Columbia Democrats and Republicans. Senior Junior Political Correspondent Derek Huang was there.

Ah, debate: an experience normally associated with eager high-schoolers who take themselves too seriously. Last night’s debate, though, involved a different type of hyper-argumentative youth. Last night’s debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans featured two moderators–one from each group–and two debaters representing each side. The topic of the debate was the recent and controversial (in most circles, at least) ruling by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

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Tired of school? Well here, have some health care debate, and some career planning! First, at 8pm in Hamilton 303, the College Republicans host Paul Howard of the Manhattan Institute to talk about health care reform in congress and elsewhere.

Then from 9 to 10:30, get yourself a science internship at the aptly named Science Internship Panel in Lerner’s Satow Room. What could possibly drag you from your room to such serious career/policy oriented discussions this close to Thanksgiving? Free. Food.

Last night’s Columbia Political Union Healthcare debate boasted no special format: the soothing power of the free market versus humanity and logical responsibility. Their respective groupies cheered, scoffed and even engaged in some raucous Joe Wilson-ery.  More valuable than watching the news, less valuable than personally investigating the issues, but more time-effective than either – it was as perfect as perfect can be in dialogue on a contentious issue. So is Bwog’s empty, conflicted soul a pre-existing condition?

The Republicans agreed that the healthcare system is broken, but because of overregulation. By their account, a freer market and a shift to individual healthcare policies (not employer-based policies) should remedy the problem. They also took a quick jab at the Democrats, claiming that they desire a single-payer system, want to use the public option to take over the health industry, and are essentially reckless social experimenters – not the most constructive use of a debate, but at least no one started a semantics catfight.

Logically, the Democrats took the opposing stance with equal certitude and equally misused facts.   The healthcare system is broken and it is because of profiteering insurance companies who care more about making a buck than saving a life. Thousands are dying, millions are uninsured. It’s all so preventable with early-stage medical care, itself helped along by a public option, which would be cheaper overall than private insurers and eventually nullify its own cost.  “These are facts. You can’t argue with them.”

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Never shying away from a potential stage storming, the Bwog staff attended last night’s speech by Ann Coulter.

As the crowd shuffled in through the long security lines for Ann Coulter‘s visit to Columbia, the same  question was on everyone’s mind–would it get crazy in Altschul? Outside the event someone had dropped leaflets instructing the audience to start singing a new version of “We Shall Overcome” (no joke), and inside students chattered excitedly. The event organizers were apprehensive as well, urging students to “keep an open mind and show her the respect she deserves.”

Well, no pies were thrown, and, aside from a few shushed heckles from the back, the audience didn’t lose its mind too much.“I never expected a welcome as warm as Ahmadinejad got at this University!” she said after striding on stage. But the “radical” denizens of Columbia appear to have learned their lesson from two years ago. Rather than drown out Coulter, students went so far as to shush hecklers, leading to a surprisingly entertaining evening of sharp exchanges.

Rather than the traditional harangue typical of controversial speakers, Coulter took a different approach, delivering one snappy anti-liberal witticism after the other. After chiding Obama for his Special Olympics joke, she followed with, “you think he’d be more sensitive…with Joe Biden as his Vice President.” And calling out liberals for taking offense at any mention of Obama’s middle name while mocking Dan Quayle for the middle name Danforth, she finished with, “Clinton’s name was Jefferson, so he should have had a black mistress.” Read more…

October’s Blue&White graces the World Wide Web today!  A few gems from this month’s issue:

Columbia Republicans kick off the year with open arms

A day of discovery and unsheathed broadswords at the Medieval Festival in Fort Tryon Park 

Ever wanted to be a banker? Yeah, not anymore

A run-down of Morningside’s ghosts 

“When I was 14, I was abducted by aliens” 

And…Babar!

  CUCR is holding their annual Columbus Day BBQ on the Van Am Quad until 2 PM, and there’s a “Founders Day” one happening on Lehman Lawn. Bwogger Anish Bramhandkar has immortalized the latter free-food glory in the photo on the right.

The highly anticipated second Presidential debate of the 2008 election commenced mere moments ago.  Tonight’s affair should prove to be quite the slug-fest, as both camps have turned up the heat with nasty smears and negative ads as of late, with just under thirty days until election day.  Also, tonight’s debate from Belmont University in Nashville, TN will prove to be extra-interesting as it features the first and last time that Obama and McCain will square off in a Town Hall-style format.

In typical fashion, the Columbia Democrats, College Republicans and the CPU (and LionPAC!) have teamed up to turn the Lerner Piano Lounge into the campus debate-watching hub.  So, stop by and grab a lime-green seat, a corner of the suede swirly thing.  If you can’t make it out to the Piano Lounge this evening, Bwog’s got you covered with news from around the blogosphere.

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Bwog headed to Roone Cinema this evening ready for our daily dose of lively intellectual discourse, today’s source being the first of three debates between the College Democrats and Republicans on issues pertinent to the upcoming election. We settled into our cushy seat surrounded by a vast sea of argyle sweaters and watched the games begin.

Tonight’s debate, hosted by the CPU, focused on foreign policy and energy solutions. Each side was told to stick to their respective party platforms, even if their personal views differed. The Dems kicked off the night, using their precious 120 allotted seconds to discuss the various failings they found with the Bush Administration, calling the War in Iraq “stupid” and explaining the economic policies of the Administration as forming a collective “wrecking ball to the economy.”

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Economy remains not-so-hot; PrezBo begins to “cut back in a lot of little different ways,” no big deal.

College Democrats and Republicans gather in same room, give each other silent treatment.

Wait, being an English major is worthless?!?

Camels roam streets, Spec reporters kissed by llamas, all just a few short blocks away!

Queer sex controversy at Barnard like you’ve never seen it before! As if you’ve ever seen it before!

Over a month ago, CU Dems made plans to visit Northern Virginia to help push Obama and House and Senate candidates over the edge to victory. 

Bwog has now heard that the Republicans will be going to campaign in New Jersey on Election Day.

Both trips will be funded entirely out of the groups’ own pockets, as it is against University Regulations — an argument originated last year by former CUGOP president Chris Kulawik — for Columbia to fund any partisan campaigning, as it could jeopardize their 501(c)(3) IRS tax status.

Why is Google so biased against the Columbia University College Republicans?

A furtive, anonymous tipster, known only as “Dispose Me,” just informed Bwog of some foul play at work within the liberal search engine.

“The Columbia Republicans site appears to have been plagued with viagra ads. And penis elargments. It’s also quite visible when you google search for ‘columbia college republicans’. For the lazy.”

Also, according to well-places sources, this very Viagara-riddled website ceased to be the official online home of the CUGOP when Kulawik graduated. Apparently he didn’t leave the new board instructions on how to access and edit the site. (Note how he’s still listed as President). The new site, for those who want to keep their student group bookmarks updated, is here.

With the dual force of Obamacain four days from striking campus, student groups and councils are scrambling to inject themselves into the festivities. On Saturday, representatives from almost every governing council, as well as CPU, the College Democrats, and the College Republicans, met to plan programming for the run-up. They plan to send their outline to Columbia administration tomorrow morning.

The plan consists of two parts: speakers and service opportunites. Highlights will apparently include a voter registration drive led by CPU, the Dems, and the Republicans. Governing boards and individual community service groups will also put on a “service fair,” highlighting service opportunities on campus. Finally, there will be a canned food drive led by the four student councils.

As for speakers, the ad-hoc coalition plans to bring in live speakers from 6-7 P.M., before the beginning of the forum. The speakers will focus on both service and September 11th. The pre-forum programming will close with a moment of silence for 9/11 victims. The councils hope to get a famous speaker (possibly a celebrity like Angelina Jolie) as part of the program. Bwog will bring you more specifics and reaction as they come in.

UPDATE 11:31 PM: The full plan to be presented to the deans is below the jump

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Islamo-Fascism Awareness week, round one!: Kulawik and co. organize a non-partisan “candlelight vigil” at the sundial.  Chopin plays tastefully in the background; more or less sombre-looking College Republicans mill about, ostensibly in remembrance of alleged “Islamo-fascism’s” alleged victims.

But what’s this? Revolution party folk handing out fliers and displaying some choice David Horowitz quotes? Seems even candlelight vigils can’t go unprotested around here, although given the sticky subject matter Bwog isn’t all that surprised. We are, however, gratified to see that protester and counter-protester are keeping out of each other’s business. Hooray for civility!