Last thought - what does it take for a WAS to say "maybe I'm off base in wanting a D"?

You have to figure at this point they are tremendously vested in the process - retained a L, told family and friends, moved out, and so on. You have a lot of critical mass moving in one direction. If nothing else, pride could fuel the drive to the finish line. Maybe it just boils down to what's most important to them at the time.