Agreed on all, and I'm very hopeful that Ward is as sharp as you suggest.  I thought so too until considering these things.  But I do have caveats up the .... and prefer to assume everyone is even sharper than suspected (to do otherwise is at one's peril in all aspects of life, IMO).

And I'm hopeful that Gil is right about hearing from Ward this coming week.  I guessed last Friday and was obviously wrong.

SGE