It wasn’t what I did that had me rise but whose hands I shook. The knowledge I acquired and research I was supposed to have done wasn’t needed in my rise to the top just the ability to leave them smiling after I left the room. Coordinating with others who held similar positions helped us all rise like helium in a balloon even if it was just filled with hot air. Our opinions didn’t have to be based on hypotheses backed up by facts but individuals who stuck together as a magnet even as logic took a different turn. Those that opposed our views were shackled by our friends in the press who never allowed their true voices to leave the room. In the end, facts be damned we will decide your truth even if it’s just a bald-faced lie after all.