Many of the Arabs that I met on this tour have pointed out to me that my references to puppets and collaborators in the Arab world obscure the reality of popular support that Hariri, Dahlan, Maliki and others have in the Arab world. True: that is due to 1) sectarian agitation and mobilization; 2) spread of cash to hungry populations; 3) traditional loyalties to certain political groups with a history of "national struggle"; 4) the imposition of sacntions and pressures against whole population to induce public opinion changes; 5) the mood of desair and dislusionment in the Arab world; 6) the Arab masses are still preoccupied with Danish cartoons. Danish cartoons, for potato's sake.