But he had a hard time listening to people who didn’t see things the way he did, and his way of doing things was diametrically opposed to honored customs among the Arabs with whom I’d dealt. Still, he had been elected overwhelmingly, and Cedras and his crew were killing innocent people. I thought he was a better leader than his press coverage often suggested, and after our two days together we maintained a friendly and productive working relationship. Jim McDougal’s mental illness had progressed to the point where he was probably not competent to stand trial, much less testify.
On June 3, I spoke at the American cemetery at Nettuno, once scarred by battle, now lush with pine and cypress trees. The Syrians responded positively on Saturday night, and we began meetings on border and security issues. From then on, Hank Aaron loved to kid me that he had personally delivered Georgia’s electoral votes with his Saturday-morning plug. Within a few months I had extended the lethal force authorization by expanding the list of targeted bin Laden associates and the circumstances under which they could be attacked.
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