The easy way out is in. Pretend you asked and got only silence so you assumed you where correct and move on to the PHB’s next artificial emergency with the vague realization that you actually get paid to do something this unimportant and meaningless.
@Ham24 - your old publisher was brilliant. you know you're supposed to build a relationship with your customer. how better to do it than to see him in a hospital gown? did you sell the ad?
PHB obviously doesn't know what "despair is your only option" means. Actually, I think it can pretty much go without saying that PHB doesn't have a working understanding of what ANYTHING means.