Seriously, I think this is true but it will have a significant outcome. I think Rog is positioning himself as the 'American Pope' or 'anti-Pope' of AmChurch. I wonder if that is the reason Pope JP II has not reigned in the US Bishops more. The problem is, the liberals are predominantly in charge. They are already in de facto schism and if a Pope trys to remove them they could feasibly say fine, but I'll keep my Church anyway. This Pope realizes he's darned if he does and darned if he doesn't.
I think you're right. Especially with he inevitable input of the media.
No, they will never "formally" split of their own volition, IMO. It has to be done so that it looks like Rome is at fault. It will start (it has already) with "Rome is out of touch" "they don't understand American Catholics" "Too old fashioned" "they can't tell us what to say (ICEL) because they are Italian and we are American" and stuff like that. It will be done appearing that Rome abandoned us here in the USA.
I hear rumblings like this all the time in my neck of the woods.