Here’s the Denver Post story on Churchill’s firing. Two noteworthy quotes:

“As much as Ward Churchill would like us to believe otherwise, today’s dismissal is about his academic conduct. It is a shame that Ward Churchill still tries to deny the disservice he has done to CU by claiming the university is interfering with his right to free speech. It is self-serving, dishonest and, quite frankly, deeply disappointing.”
Mark Udall, Democratic congressman
“The governor is supportive of (the regents’) decision. Based on everything he knows, it was the right decision.”
Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter

Readers of the Denver Post respond overwhelmingly in favor of the Churchill firing. This comment is interesting:

While I support Churchill’s right to say anything that he feels is relevant to his research as a Native person, I cannot get past that fraud. As you can see from the comments, people use this as a hammer against hiring other minorities. On that issue, and on the issue of the damage he has done to Native and Ethnic studies, a real Indian would have stepped down. IMHO, he is acting like the white man he left behind to act like the cigar store Indian he has become. A real Indian would have put his people and our progress ahead of his own ego. So, his behavior is not a reflection on Indians. He is like the guy who went to the Boston Tea Party and left the makeup and breechcloth on.