> No, I recognized that this is a self-preservation tactic and (thought) I implied I wished it weren't needed.
This seems to contradict when you previously wrote that it is up to him, and him alone, to change his behavior, when here it seems to be actually a needed tactic bourn of forces outside of his control. Allocating 50% blame doesn't seem terribly sympathetic, either.
But never mind, I have probably nitpicked more than my fair share for today.