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Welcome to the Bullwork podcast. It is 2023. I'm Charlie Sykes and we are back and we're

going to launch the new year with our good friend Tom Nichols, Professor Emeritus at the

Naval College, now a staff writer at the Atlantic. And he's feeling pretty jiggy about 2023.

So good morning and welcome back Tom. I don't think I've been described as jiggy since

maybe the early 90s, if ever. But yeah, I'm feeling a little more optimistic than I did

a year ago. So thanks for having me, Charlie.

Well, I was thinking about that. We'll have a discussion about optimism in 2023. And I

was thinking about the first newsletter that I wrote in 2022. A year ago, I think it

like year ago today or maybe a year ago yesterday. And it began with something like, you

know, I had to confess, I'm just exhausted, even after coming back from vacation. And I

think it was exhausted by the stupidity and the futility of it. And that sense that, oh,

man, the shit is just going to keep coming. And I have to say, I don't feel that way.

I woke up today feeling like this is going to be interesting. This is going to be a hell

of a show. Whatever happens. I don't know. Maybe it's bad for America. Maybe it's bad

for the world. But it is not at all going to be a boring year. And for that, I'm great

for people. I'm almost afraid of jinxing it by agreeing with you. I feel the same way.

...