Nobody seemed to mind much how the decision was arrived at, so long as the responsibility was passed to some one else.
The man now called on was a smooth-tongued, tall, lean individual with shifty eyes, and a flow of talk of the coffeeshop variety.
At the end of his first sentence any fool would have known that he had been put up to quiz Abdul Ali, in order that Abdul Ali might have an excuse to justify himself.

He attacked him very mildly, with much careful hedging and apologetic gesture, on the ground that possibly the Damascene was ignoring their interests while urging them to take action that would suit his own.
Even with that mild criticism he set loose quite a murmur of minority agreement.

For the first time since the speech-making began Anazeh barked approval.

I thought for a moment the old man was going to get to his feet.

But Abdul Ali was up again first, and launched on the seas of self-esteem.
If I had not listened to equally childish political maneuvers in the States, and seen them succeed for the reason that people who want something want also to be fooled into getting it by special arguments, it would have seemed incredible that a man, who had recently boasted of statesmanship, should dare to make such a public ass of himself.