Bill Kristol

Yeah, this legacy question, it made me think about something Rudy Giuliani said a couple years ago. Do you remember this? Somebody, some reporter was lamenting to him how he'd ruined his legacy. And he said, my attitude about my legacy is fuck it. I'll be dead. And that is like a deeply sociopathic view of legacy.

It's like, I think about all this stuff and like, you know, as a moderate squish, I'm always like, you're looking for balance in all things, right? Like obsession over one's legacy and trying to sculpt and mold it, right? Like, especially at this time, I mean, there's Steve Shale just wrote this great piece for us last week. about kind of how Biden, you know, like you can only do so much, right?

It's like, I think about all this stuff and like, you know, as a moderate squish, I'm always like, you're looking for balance in all things, right? Like obsession over one's legacy and trying to sculpt and mold it, right? Like, especially at this time, I mean, there's Steve Shale just wrote this great piece for us last week. about kind of how Biden, you know, like you can only do so much, right?

It's like, I think about all this stuff and like, you know, as a moderate squish, I'm always like, you're looking for balance in all things, right? Like obsession over one's legacy and trying to sculpt and mold it, right? Like, especially at this time, I mean, there's Steve Shale just wrote this great piece for us last week. about kind of how Biden, you know, like you can only do so much, right?

Like, I mean, he had this life or has this life still where he did all this research into cancer, another kind of irony of sad irony about what he's going through now, you know, how he cared about this cancer moonshot because of his son and, The legacy of all of the Build Back Better and chips and the things he accomplished and the legacy of things that he accomplished in the Senate.

Like, I mean, he had this life or has this life still where he did all this research into cancer, another kind of irony of sad irony about what he's going through now, you know, how he cared about this cancer moonshot because of his son and, The legacy of all of the Build Back Better and chips and the things he accomplished and the legacy of things that he accomplished in the Senate.

Like, I mean, he had this life or has this life still where he did all this research into cancer, another kind of irony of sad irony about what he's going through now, you know, how he cared about this cancer moonshot because of his son and, The legacy of all of the Build Back Better and chips and the things he accomplished and the legacy of things that he accomplished in the Senate.

So all of these things that you want to talk about and focus on in your post-presidency or continue to advance in some way in foreign policy for him too. And then there's kind of like the pop cable news punditry legacy. And Shale was trying to talk about how Biden should think about

So all of these things that you want to talk about and focus on in your post-presidency or continue to advance in some way in foreign policy for him too. And then there's kind of like the pop cable news punditry legacy. And Shale was trying to talk about how Biden should think about

So all of these things that you want to talk about and focus on in your post-presidency or continue to advance in some way in foreign policy for him too. And then there's kind of like the pop cable news punditry legacy. And Shale was trying to talk about how Biden should think about

just trying to advance all those things that he worked on that he had successes on, you know, like rather than trying to win this fucking tucking head battle that is a on unwinnable since Trump won and be like on certain, right? Like who knows like how things will shake out. And I do feel like there is, there's like some healthy place in the middle, you know, that we want from public servants.

just trying to advance all those things that he worked on that he had successes on, you know, like rather than trying to win this fucking tucking head battle that is a on unwinnable since Trump won and be like on certain, right? Like who knows like how things will shake out. And I do feel like there is, there's like some healthy place in the middle, you know, that we want from public servants.

just trying to advance all those things that he worked on that he had successes on, you know, like rather than trying to win this fucking tucking head battle that is a on unwinnable since Trump won and be like on certain, right? Like who knows like how things will shake out. And I do feel like there is, there's like some healthy place in the middle, you know, that we want from public servants.

That's somewhere between the horrific nihilism of Rudy Giuliani and, and kind of like an obsession with legacy that becomes unhelpful, right? Or maybe even counterproductive, like at times. And it just feels so much more acute for him, maybe because of his age. I don't know why. Like maybe it feels less acute for Obama and W because there's a longer arc of post-presidency. I'm not sure.

That's somewhere between the horrific nihilism of Rudy Giuliani and, and kind of like an obsession with legacy that becomes unhelpful, right? Or maybe even counterproductive, like at times. And it just feels so much more acute for him, maybe because of his age. I don't know why. Like maybe it feels less acute for Obama and W because there's a longer arc of post-presidency. I'm not sure.

That's somewhere between the horrific nihilism of Rudy Giuliani and, and kind of like an obsession with legacy that becomes unhelpful, right? Or maybe even counterproductive, like at times. And it just feels so much more acute for him, maybe because of his age. I don't know why. Like maybe it feels less acute for Obama and W because there's a longer arc of post-presidency. I'm not sure.

Yeah, I'm not sure either. I've always thought that the focus on legacy is both obviously humanly understandable. It can lead in a good direction, as you were sort of suggesting, in the sense that you want to do admirable things that you'll be remembered for. It can also lead to a kind of overthinking.

Yeah, I'm not sure either. I've always thought that the focus on legacy is both obviously humanly understandable. It can lead in a good direction, as you were sort of suggesting, in the sense that you want to do admirable things that you'll be remembered for. It can also lead to a kind of overthinking.

Yeah, I'm not sure either. I've always thought that the focus on legacy is both obviously humanly understandable. It can lead in a good direction, as you were sort of suggesting, in the sense that you want to do admirable things that you'll be remembered for. It can also lead to a kind of overthinking.

I've seen this in other people, not just public officials, incidentally, that you don't know what's going to happen next. You don't know how things are going to be judged 10, 20, 30 years from now. Things that look great at first don't look so good, and vice versa. Harry Truman.