...agree with everything [ghi] says

Actually I did not say that, I said 'I agree with practically everything you say' (bit of wriggle room there).

OK, I agree with you that that first sentence is not right. I am not consciously 'bending over backwards', on a first quick reading it did seem reasonable, and then rather than disect it sentence by sentence as you did, I just made two points, which I thought pretty much demolished most of what he said.

So apart from that very first sentence, the rest of my post still stands. And also my point to Cynthia that it *does* sound reasonable on a first casual reading.