This occurred to me yesterday. Western journalists in the Middle East are uniformly impressed with Arabs who drink whiskey for some reason, especially if they are Muslims or Muslim-born. They seem to think it is a sign that an Arab can achieve a measure of civilized manners and behavior. And I also notice that some Arabs like to impress Western journalists by drinking whiskey. Those who drink single malt--and I still don't know what that means despite detailed explanation from dear friend Joseph--are put on a pedestal and promoted as ideal types for Arabs. By the way, Saddam enjoyed drinking whiskey.