But in his public appearances, and in rambling essays read out on the evening news, he has stuck rigidly to comments on world affairs, not domestic issues.
He had sailed for two hours, resting in the stern and sometimes chewing a bit of the meat from the marlin, trying to rest and to be strong, when he saw the first of the two sharks.
Mr Assad has not been seen in public since April 16th (apart from a meeting with actors shown on television on May 15th), so rumours have spread that he is not in control.