Like a chess game, it is not always obvious when you've made a decision that will ultimately cost you the game. Even if it is the only bad decision, and even if

Like a chess game, it is not always obvious when you've made a decision that will ultimately cost you the game. Even if it is the only bad decision, and even if the mate comes 2 dozen moves later, you may never realize what it was. In reflecting how this could have played out differently, it seems that he needed a perspective outside his own circle, even after he had resigned. Not a formal adviser and paid advice, but someone he trusted who could see the increasing peril to his career. Even if the outcome was inevitable, perhaps the landing could have been softer.