Juan Cole smears yet another journalist that doesn't happen to agree with his world view

Nothing new there. Except this time the reporter in question can't defend himself because he was murdered by terrorists in Iraq. He's dead.

Martin Kramer (who's been making a hobby out of discrediting Cole, lately):

What reeks of bad taste is Cole's superior dismissal of [American journalist Stephen] Vincent, as if his death somehow proves his ignorance. Point of fact: you can know everything "serious" about Middle Eastern culture and never criticize it even in the mildest way, and still get yourself killed by fanatics.

But hey! That's just the classy sort of guy Juan Cole is! Remember this? Understand that Juan Cole knows more Arabic than you, knows more about Arabic customs than you because he's lived in the Middle East, and above all, if you write anything that challenges his entrenched beliefs he will assasinate your character as well as your words. Even if he has to defend your murderers to do so.

Lucky for us, he never does an especially good job of it. Not when Martin Kramer is watching his every move. Thanks, Martin.