The story of the oft heralded general wounded in multiple engagements over dozens of years tells a tale much sought after in Hollywood. A rags to riches story ending in tragedy that unites a people at a time when their own internal struggles with their government are about to lead to a complete overthrow and proof the revolution was false from the start. Born into a peasant family, the true-blue son of a farmer, solider, officer, and hero of the country grows beyond the scope of the ruling class to the point where he becomes a threat. A threat that could lead to a new leadership at a time when the people crave a change. Need a change since they no longer believe in the once perfect ideals of a regime focused on a single evil. The regime itself now represents that evil. The regime has become all that is reviled and everything they struggled against as they purged their ranks of anything contrary to the revolutionary principles. The opportunity for a rebirth is limited. The available options acutely focused on sacrifice. The question: How do we align the country once again? How do to refocus the citizenry against the evil that united us as a people 40 years ago? Is there an opportunity for renewal in the face of such a young and educated populace? How do we get them to forget their unemployment when they are highly educated and looking to excel and grow? Is there a way to resist the foreign brain drain? Can we get the people of this great nation to forget their financial woes, the reduction in subsidies and the high inflation? Is there a way to regain the trust we once had and redirect the distrust to the archetypal evil that stands at our doorstep?

Much consternation and gut-wrenching hand wringing, and we may have a solution, but the sacrifice is great. Yet the results are virtually guaranteed. We one fell swoop we can restore the confidence in our revolutionary ideals, redirect the anger of the populace and create a martyr that history will never forget. One that many in the world will align with whether part of our country or not. One that will only be available for a short window of opportunity but one that is likely to work without question.

Can we sacrifice our national hero? Every country needs a hero, yet many do not realize what the hero means to them until they are gone. We have an evil we can leverage. We have an impulsive adversary who needs a major win to restore the confidence of his country in him. The timing is now. We must take the risk. If he does not take the bait, we have to examine new options. If he does take the bait, then we have our national martyr for posterities sake and, we maintain the leadership of the revolution in the hands of where it should be. The proper religious aristocracy. All will be right in the world and our righteous indignation cannot be questioned. In fact, it will be demanded, and we will not disappoint.

Whereupon the King fell into such a violent rage that he resembled a saucepan boiling over. But to the deputation of mice he spoke very kindly, calling them his newly-arrived and welcome guests, and to comfort them vowed that he would give the cat such a chastisement that the news of it should circulate through the world.

Then, observing their grief, he commanded that the dead mouse should be buried with all pomp and ceremony. Accordingly, they made lamentation for a whole week, as though it had been for one of royal degree; and having prepared delicious sweetmeats, they placed them in baskets and carried them with streaming eyes to the grave.

After the burial service, the King ordered the army to assemble on a given day on the great sandy plain that stretches as far as the eye can see around the city. Then he addressed them, saying:

“Oh, men and soldiers, inasmuch as the cat has so cruelly ill-treated our countrymen, he being a heretic and an evil doer, and brutal in nature, we must now go to the city of Kerman and fight him.”

We must find a way to provide a schedule of our hero’s travel plans but that alone is not enough. We must leak through some validated means, a means of a credible source, our hero’s intent to commit great harm against our unwitting dupe. We must plant the seed for his demise and wait for the ego of our enemy to take the bait. We release the information through multiple independent trusted sources. We provide this ensuring credibility, ensuring validity and relevance, knowing the option will be present to the man-child since that is what intelligence does. We place a short fuse on the intelligence forcing the hand of our major adversary. They must act quickly and decisively. The stage is set, and we wait. We find no need in delivering a travel schedule since this will be seen as too much of a leak especially at a time when the evil that affronts our nation knows the plans of our leadership at most all times.

The bait proves too delicious to ignore. The opportunity, one that must be taken. Lives are at stake. We will be safer once the perpetrator is removed. The evidence we have in hand is compelling. I will be seen as a hero. I will be seen as a savior in my country at a time when I may face major legal issues. I issue the order and we execute the plan. We have restored my position as the rightful leader of this great nation. We will show the world we are tough and resolute. The intelligence, which I normally disregard is not the holy grail of my rebirth.

We watch from afar as the Shakespearean tragedy plays out. The sacrifice is complete on the altar of our revolutionary ideals. We can sit back and watch this play out with true tears of our loss. all for the good of the revolution. We united the country. We restored the target of evil. We have new recruitment of the highly educated youth. They come in droves with an anger not since seen the beginning of this holy experiment. The plan is working so much better than we every expected. The world is united against the great satanic evil that no one trusts. We mourn for our hero. We ache with false bravado, shed tears that are crocodile yet deep down, a truth that creates great pain. Yet in the end, we achieved what our hero could not in life. We thank you for your service to the preservation of the revolution.