When Lawson entered the Oval Office, Joseph was drawing on the whiteboard again.

"A new plan?" He asked, taking a sip of his concoction.

"Indeed," replied Joseph. "A new plan."

The 'new plan' on the whiteboard was an untidy mess of red, black, and white, with lines looping over and under to connect with various circles. Lawson compared it with the chaos of primordial forces in the legend of Pangu and found it not inaccurate. The Assistant spoke, "So what is it about?"

Joseph pawed at his chin and took in a deep breath. "It's... a foundation. A groundwork. For the country to springboard off. I cast a web into the entire country and yank it out under the feet of all its problems. It's like...like...like..." Joseph gesticulated, trying to think up an appropriate analogy. Finally, he settled on, "You know chess?"

"I believe I've heard of it, yes." Lawson shot back.

"It's like I'm arranging a spetacular web. A pyrrhic one towards victory. Bishop takes rook, knight takes bishop, pawn takes knight...on and on until I manage to reach a checkmate. That's the victory condition, a checkmate and not a draw. That makes things much much harder, because I've already lost a lot of pieces to the other side. With the few pieces left on my side and only the pyrrhic way left for me, it's going to be hard to make it. It's going to take... luck." Joseph jabbed his finger upwards. "That's where the analogy falls apart. There's no luck in a chess match. But in real life, unexpected circumstances always occur."

Lawson emptied the rest of the drink into his gullet. "So... who are the chess pieces?"

Joseph shrugged. "Everyone. Even the King is but a chess piece. Ah, that's also where the chess analogy falls apart. The other side has no Kings, yet they all go for the same thing anyways."

The two voices rang out as one. "Greed."

Joseph shot a glance at Lawson, whereupon Lawson shot back, "I've head enough of your rhetoric to know where you were going with that. What about Hanlon's razor?"

Joseph deadpanned, "I don't know what that is."

Lawson rubbed the back of his head (where did he get that habit from?) and elaborated, "Hanlon's razor goes: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Joseph replied, "Well, then we need to cure that stupidity. We need to gain enough leverage at their level and shoot it back at them. Bring a gun to a fist fight."

At this point in time, the President massaged his forehead. "Goodness, I hope the anti-corruption force isn't rupted."

Lawson stepped up to the whiteboard and scrutinized the chicken scratch upon it. "Honestly, you're looking very far. I'm worried."

"Worried? What for?"

Lawson turned to him and said, "I'm afraid that you look so far past the horizon that you walk straight into a ditch."

Joseph smiled sadly. "Then you'll just have to get me out of it."

Saying thus, he patted the shoulder of Lawson.