Jeffrey Feltman's knowledge of the Middle East: Lee Smith

All that Jeffrey Feltman knows about the Middle East, he read in Lee Smith's writings on the subject. And the latter writes on Arab culture although he does not know Arabic. But Feltman is a step ahead: when he served as ambassador in Lebanon, and while the Russian, Chines, French, and British ambassadors all spoke fluent Arabic, Feltman was known for being able to say "shukran" on occasion. He was known to be so proud of himself when he would say it to Arab journalists. David sent me this on Lee Smith: "Also, would you please note on your blog that Lee Smith also does/did work for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Dore Gold's little information shop that tasks itself with "presenting Israel's case to the world." The JCPA is leading the charge against the Goldstone report, and is behind the odious NGO Monitor. I bring this up because during the book launch at Hudson, Feltman had a curious line: "It was always extremely important to know that the message of hope – what was actually happening in Lebanon – was getting out accurately, which Lee Smith always did." (see: ). That strikes me as a curious thing for a government official to say about a "journalist." I will stop here with the meek hope that your readers are familiar with the concept of "third party validation."" And Ziad sent me this about Lee Smith's adventures in Beirut: "It is a remarkable fact of globalization that the vast majority of the world's female foreign sex workers are from the former Soviet Union. At an Arab "cabaret," you can sit with a woman for $25 a half-hour, but I am much too embarrassed to do so, and I save face by asking four girls to sit with me. I am a pasha—"Lee Basha," the waiter calls me when he brings drinks for me and my friends. All of them are from the former Soviet states, so we talk about Russian things. Only Eva from Siberia prefers Dostoevsky to Tolstoy, which is why, when the half-hour expires and all the rest get up to leave, I ask her to stay and speak some more."