I hate a fellow whom pride, or cowardice, or laziness drives into a corner, and who does nothing when he is there but sit and growl; let him come out as I do, and bark. Samuel Johnson.
GD - your mate won't come out to play, there are hard facts on the table, live ammunition in the sock and plenty of willing hands to throw rocks on the roof.
Endless delay and clever misdirection are the tools employed to defer the inevitable, while the rats desert their comrades and the sinking ship with pocketfulls of public money.
Selah.