I think for a given case that may be true. That is, for case 'A' where the WH agrees but the other branches disagree, then it will seem as if it's a false sense of power (a placebo mechanism). However, just because this is true in some cases does not preclude there being case 'B' where the WH agrees and the other branches agree, in which case one would have exerted influence.

I think people do understand that not all their wishes can come true and that there are others whose wishes are the exact opposite (with respect to rules and.

So long as the process is predictable and somewhat transparent, then I think people's expectations will be reasonable.