:::::Lee, thanks for your compromise on "claim".  I am between you and Armon about the Karsh quote.   I don't think it is a "fact" it is Karsh's opinion, HOWEVER, Karsh's CV demonstrates that he has the credentials to provide a very credible opinion on this particular topic.  In addition, his politics are moderate and this adds more credibility (because he's not Cole's usual target).  Also, reviewing Cole's CV and publications certainly confirms Karsh's point (and that of others who made the same point previously).  Sure, Cole is a full professor of History, but his area of expertise, although in the big area of "Middle East", is not very relevant to the issues he writes about in the popular press and the blogsphere.  Successful PhD level academics have very very narrow fields of expertise; most folks not familiar with academia would not know this, so it is important to an encyclopedia article to let this point stand.  To use the word "claim" to refer to Karsh's opinion subtly discredits it and this is out of line by Wikipedia standards.  Thanks for coming around.   
 ::::::LLGre MEMRII have to chuckle when you call it "my" article and read Armon's response; Lee, Armon, and I recently spent two of the best weeks of our lives battling that one out =).  BUT, I think that the Cole article could integrate the criticism better than it does now.