The flaw that plagues a lot of the speculation on this board (in my opinion) is that we tend to view things from a rational perspective of people no longer indoctrinated in the WT belief system. Therefore, we tend to look at things from the vantage point of what "makes sense," or to put it another way, what a rational business/religious organization in a comparable position would do. That's a mistake.
Most signs point to (again, in my opinion) the GB being delusional believers who honestly expect some version of their religious expectations to play out sometime soon. They're waiting on the Jehovah life-boat to come by and fix everything for them. That, of course, isn't going to happen. That's why I tend to think there is a strong possibility of something really goofy happening down the road in the sense of certain GB members getting desperate because the end never came.
Now, there are indeed mixed signals coming from the top. Long gone are the days when Rutherford ruled with an iron-fist and all policy-making authority resided with one individual. It's clear to see that legal/political concerns are driving at least some of the policy decisions. The more you see practical, real-world concerns driving policy/doctrine, the more you can believe that the decision-makers have become more cyincal and pragmatic. I don't see that right now. However, if the more cynical types win control, it's very easy to see an LDS-like mainstreaming movement take foot because it makes practical sense. This would be a path that a rational, non-indoctrinated leadership would make. If the more delusional types win out (think Loesch), however, I think the future really is unpredictable.
