I recommended a quick tour of Assad's finest suite of torture chambers, Saha al-T'dhib, only an hour from the capital. My thought was that he might take pictures and give them to family and friends as White House souvenirs. Or he could give interviews that might persuade Assad to close a chamber or two. But he did not go to the chambers, even though my details came from State Department reports. Ah, well, I can understand why he did not carry out my suggestions.
Presidents are always busy, busy.
So for Geneva, I suggest something that would take less of Clinton's time. The Syrian and American presidents enter the meeting chamber, shake hands, sit down, chat a moment or two and Clinton takes an envelope out of his jacket pocket. He hands it to Assad, who pulls out two papers, one in English, one in Arabic. Surprise, says Clinton. Those are notices that the U.S. is asking the international crimes court to indict you for murdering 15,000 countrymen in the city of Hama in 1982 because you didn't like them.