Ross Douthat

Before we talk more about, you know, human mortality and yours specifically...

Now that you're dying, as far as we know, it's a natural time to ask you big, important questions about American politics and your experience thereof.

And you're, you know, you have special wisdom because, you know, because you're dying.

You become 94.

You're like, you're like, you're where Henry Kissinger was at 100.

I'll let, I'll let the, I'll let that thread drop.

So let's talk about your political career.

career and what you think about US politics, what it taught you about US politics.

I was in a room, I don't know, like a week or 10 days ago with a bunch of very high-minded

academics, many of them sort of centrist and center right, a very small tribe.

And for some reason, the conversation turned to the future of the Republican Party.

And one of these academics said in a kind of hopeful voice, I don't suppose there's any chance that we'll get a second act for Ben Sasse.

And there was sort of this pause.

And then I had to be the one who said, well, probably not.

It's a low.

It's a low.

I wouldn't go on, you know, Kalshi or Polymarket and bet on that.

More morphine.

The person, this person had not heard about your cancer diagnosis.

But I did think that moment was a good way of thinking about your own constituency in politics, which was there were people who loved politics.