... that you speak of, and I had the same suspicion as to why he'd have passed on signing on to that press release: that the hostage situation scared him into re-evaluating himself a bit.

His sarcasm and petulance is a defense mechanism that I don't think will ever fully subside, as you mentioned at the end of your post.

But I think in previous years, in a similar situation, he may have been more likely to sign that press release.