> From: Ken Koester [mailto:kkoester at email.ers.usda.gov] > > Grady Brandt wrote: > > >I think surviving a verifiable Morganti job (maybe two) should be enough > to > >give them pause, regardless of what they know about GWs in general and > >whether they know Vlad's got one. > > > Morganti is a plus, but what they'll settle for is dead-is-dead. . . > and when they went after Morollan, they showed they already knew how to > do that; they just weren't successful at it. What does Vlad have that > Morollan does not? Not enough to cause the Council to back off, no > matter how many attempts Vlad survives & no matter how many times he > unsheathes Lady T., I submit. A wiseass jhereg perched on his shoulder, and plenty of experience from the other end. Neither of those would scare the Council, but if they fail once or twice using the same methods they tried on Morrollan (and I don't think Steve will let Vlad get taken out that way) I think they'll go Morganti. It's simpler, if less appealing. If Vlad survives that, well, then what? How many failures will the Council submit itself to before they realize they're making fools of themselves in front of the entire Organization? That kind of activity is a sure ticket to removal from office, in one way or another. I don't believe they can just cut a deal, but the Council can't afford to let itself be seen as a failure either, so something will have to give. Granted, I'm assuming the Council will try for Vlad, and that Vlad will squeak out from under it like he usually does. Of course, if they get him, then the whole conversation is useless.