Update, 3:00 PM: The Dems, who were not consulted in the reporting of this post (to Bwog's discredit) have some additions and clarifications after the jump.

The College Democrats, who collaborated with several anti-war groups (Students for Justice in the Middle East, the Working Families Party, Lucha, World Can't Wait, and the ISO) on sending people down to DC last week, are done with all this left wing solidarity: Dems President Mike Nadler just sent an e-mail announcing that his group would pull out of the coalition's next event, a walkout planned for February 15 (the anniversary of the massive walkouts in 2003). David Judd of the ISO had this to say:

"The Dems have decided to not participate as a club in the walkout and rally, though individual members will do so. they have left because of ideological differences which could not be reconciled despite much effort to do so. the remaining members of the coalition are disappointed with this decision and continue to hope that the Democrats will reconsider. the walkout and rally will continue, and the Columbia Coalition Against the War believes that it will be very successful. a broad spectrum of groups and individuals are still participating in planning, student strikes are moving forward on a national level with endorsements by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, the latter delivered at Columbia yesterday, and we are all very excited to take concrete action against the war on the 15th."

Both sides are staying mum to avoid a public shit show, but one person less personally invested gave Bwog the backstory. In a nutshell, the groups parted ways over how to request that Columbia study divestment from certain defense contractors to protest the war. Representatives of the Coalition groups compromised on only three companies (Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Lockheed Martin, which constitute $4.3 out of Columbia's $836 million in public holdings) for the duration of the war, but the Dems said no. The Coalition reps declined to say definitively what they would recommend to their groups, which the Dems took as a sign of bad faith, finally pulling out of the deal altogether.

Is this how it's like in the real world?

Full announcement from Dems Board after the jump.

Subscribers to the listserv of the Columbia Student Solidarity Network (a liberal umbrella group rejuvenated in the wake of this February's Ashcroft visit) were treated yesterday to two oddly contrasting invitations. One, forwarded by College Dems president Mike Nadler, exhorts readers to sign a pro-Israel petition that Hillel will send to Kofi Annan. Another promotes an "emergency forum" this Saturday to address Israel's "barbaric campaign of destruction against the Palestinian and Lebanese people," endorsed by (among others) the International Socialist Organization.

Bwog holds out the sincere hope that at least some of these people are friends with each other.

When Bwog finds a complimentary copy of Columbia College Today squashed into its 4" by 4" mailbox, it tends to glance at the smiling administrator or alumnus on the cover and toss the glossy mag on a Lerner ramp bench. Sometimes, though, the photo has something about it, some special quality, that keeps Bwog from tearing its eyes away. This issue, it's the seamlessly fused eyebrows of Nicholas Dirks, VP of arts and sciences and "esteemed expert" in various things.

In keeping with its style of breathless puff pieces on distinguished potential donors, CCT also profiled Jerry Nadler, Vanity Fair Hall-of-Famer and US Congressman for bits of Manhattan and Brooklyn. With a pedigree like that, frat boy Mike Nadler couldn't help becoming president of the Dems. Although Bwog is sure he's quite talented as well.

Bwog correspondent Jacob Victor reports:

Results are in from Wednesday's College Dems E-board Elections! The winners are:

(drum roll, please...)

President: Mike Nadler CC '07
Vice President: Andrew Avorn CC '08
Secretary: Maggie Mendenhall BC '09
Treasurer: Chris Daniels CC '09
Members at Large:
Josh Lipsy CC '08
Elyse Ross BC '09
Rachael McMillan CC '09
Jacob Taber GS/JTS '09
Nimit Mehta SEAS '09

The themes relevant to this year's elections included reforming the Democratic Party (and finding its long-lost backbone), getting the college Dems more involved in local New York City and State elections, and making sure Chris Kulawik—newly elected president of the College Republicans, Spec columnist, and the proud object of a Facebook fan club—feels some liberal wrath.

Around 150 votes were counted for the presidential elections, with very close results between Nadler and his opponent, Jonathan Siegel CC '08. In the true spirit of the Democratic Party, voting was oddly complicated as people were forced to line up in front of Lerner's Satow Room so their names could be checked off computerized lists. Ballots were collected race by race and counted immediately so that candidates could have the option of dropping down to a different election if they lost. Josh Lispky, for example, after losing the VP election to Andrew Ahorn, chose to drop down to the race for Members as Large—and was victorious!