Going through the motions is not retreat.
Like when I let my kids suggest where we eat.
“You can ASK for McDonald’s, Chuck E Cheese, and Pizza Hut. Make your best case.”
“The answer is still no.”
Ah, but you probably have the spine and resolve to stick with your “no”, and the track record to go with it.
Our elected R’s in both House and Senate have been taking the nation to Chuck E. Cheese—”just this once”—every night for 30 years.