"There are a lot of candidates who get completely run down, and they have to take a week off - and that's the kiss of death, " says Richard Ben Cramer, author of What it Takes: The Way to the White House.

BBC: How much stamina does it take to become US president?

That weekend, Mr. Saied ran into Sheik Qaradawi as the luminary emerged from a crowded hotel elevator and attempted to fend off people trying to kiss his hand.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: An insight into the fifth column

"Rodin is a great sculptor, " he notes, before wandering off into a musing litany of works he owns: " 'The Kiss, ' 'The Thinker, ' 'The Shades, ' 'Eve, ' " he pauses.

WSJ: Emperor's New Museum | Museo Soumaya