Douthat Prepares for NYT Op-Ed Page Destiny

Michael Calderone has a nice interview up with the New York Times‘ 29 year old incoming columnist Ross Douthat. Some highlights:

• “Those of us who have known him for a while have joked that his destiny was to be the conservative on The New York Times editorial page,” said associate editor Marc Ambinder.

• Douthat, who once went skinny-dipping with William F. Buckley, will be facing an audience more likely to share political views with Frank Rich than with the late National Review founder. “I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by liberals,” Douthat said, “so hopefully it won’t be a difficult adjustment.”

• Whereas Douthat has a reputation for challenging the Republican orthodoxy, many liberals complained that Kristol toed the GOP line and provided intellectual cover for the presidency of George W. Bush, the Iraq war and the candidacy of Sarah Palin.

  There’s a feeling among many on the left that if the Times feels the need to hire a conservative, it might as well be Douthat.

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