'In Beirut, I heard that the Saudis had instructed Sunni sheikhs & imams throughout Syria to calm things down..."

"The results of Lee Smith’s new fact finding mission in Lebanon will undoubtedly confirm his original contention, elaborated in his book The Strong Horse, that Arabs only understand force… stay tuned: [Remember when these folks made fun of Crooke's comment to Hersh about having "heard" that the Saudis were arming up salfists in the North in advance of the Nahr al-Barid fight. Well Smith now has this to say:] “…Last week in Beirut I heard rumors that the Saudis had instructed Sunni sheikhs and imams throughout Syria to calm things down and keep people out of the street. Apparently, the Saudis’ wishes were scattered by the winds of the Syrian uprising…”