hope for the best expect the worst some drinks some drinks you pay some die of first the way of knowing which way it's going oh for, for the best, expect the worst.

Oh, for the best.

Welcome to the Commentary Magazine Daily Podcast.

Today is Monday, March 2nd, 2026, and I'm laughing because this is our third effort to start

to show because twice before I said that it was March 3rd.

So I am am amused that this simple matter of counting is beyond me.

Maybe that's because we did two emergency podcasts this weekend with the start of the war.

And so I'm therefore, you know, I'm living in a perpetual past, present future and can't get the dates right.

This is not a problem for my co-panelists here, executive editor, Abe Greenwald.

Hi, Abe.

Hi, John.

Senior editor, Seth Mandel.

Hi, Seth.

Hi, John.

And don't worry, we're all still writing March 3rd on our checks.

There we go.

We're not, don't, let's not get into the checks thing again. We already had a whole, like, whole podcast that jumped off you making a joke about checks. And also, of course, social commentary columnist Christine Rosen. Hi, Christine. Hi, John. I was going to make a joke about you all abusing our emergency

podcast powers, but I'll just let that one go. You mean, we need to go to Congress to authorize the

emergency podcast? You did not seek congressional approval for two podcasts. I mean, you know,

we, you know, the war powers act gives us 60 days. That's right. Okay. Yeah, to be fully authorized.

Okay.

So this morning, about an hour before we started recording this, Pete Hegseth and General

...