Did you catch Samir `Atallah on New TV on Sunday? That was a show. He was pitted against `Abdullah Bouhabib: the latter is at his best when he does not try to be neutral, and he is one of the rare few in Lebanon who understands US politics. So `Atallah (who only a few months ago wrote a tribute to Prince Muqrin (the head of foreign intelligence in Saudi Arabia), was trying to deny that Saudi Arabia is a "taraf" (party) to the conflict in Lebanon. He was challenged on that point, and hen had to admit (based on evidence from Saudi official statements and interviews) that Saudi Arabia is "munhazah" (biased) toward the conflict in Lebanon. You could see him getting increasingly uncomfortable with his own language, and then said that it may have been a mistake to have called it "biased." `Atallah may get 100 lashes next time he visits the kingdom.