I attempted to play my hand in a way that was equally efficacious on the first and third levels, since i wasn't 100% certain at which level my rhetorical opponent was working.

One of my leaks being unable to determine what meta-elevation is appropriate upon entering a game. I often try to find a line that works on many levels...kind of like when i volunteer for the Special Olympics and make jokes that are simultaneously funny to the athletes and the parents but for entirely different reasons. I have no idea whether Brad1970 is the athlete or the parent in my simile, but my answer applies in either case.