"I understand, sir. If I may say so, that’s a very good situational analysis." There was no question that he would take the job. It would mean pruning himself away from the Bambakias inner circle; it would also mean abandoning months of painstaking backstage work in the Senate Science Committee. That was like losing two lobes of his brain in an instant. But of course he would drop everything to work for the President. Because it meant an instant leap to a much higher pinnacle of power—a pinnacle where options bloomed all around him like edelweiss. "Thank you for your offer, Mr. President. I’m honored. I accept with pleasure."