"Still, the simple truth is that a great democracy like ours deserves a first-rate newspaper of record. And the New York Times isn't it."
Bill Kristol writes a thoughtful non-screed on the problems on 43rd Street. America's Next Great Newspaper is realistic and magnanimous, yet it reaches a dire conclusion:
"Even if Raines were to go, everything we know about Sulzberger suggests his next pick would be no improvement. Fundamental regime change at the New York Times is not in the cards. Inspections and sanctions won't work. Even the French can't help. The Times is irredeemable. The question is whether a new newspaper of record will replace it."