It's just not an option in most leadership positions. When news comes down that the NSF budget is likely to be cut 55%, being the director of the NSF means deci

It's just not an option in most leadership positions. When news comes down that the NSF budget is likely to be cut 55%, being the director of the NSF means deciding how that 55% cut is allocated. Your subordinates need advice on how to make funding decisions, and guarantees that you'll preserve funding for X and Y and Z which are particularly important. And once you start offering such advice and guarantees, you're an active participant in the cuts, no matter how much you personally wish they hadn't happened.