conspiracy theories....
Yes, and man never walked on the moon.
NR is just testing the waters on this one; he knew he had a slim chance of getting this through, and his "worst-case scenario" is what was expected, not hoped for. As for those CoS99 SO and FOs who actually signed across; a bonus to him. Anthing is better than nothing.
Now back to start, less those who signed. Can't blame the guy for trying.