NEW REGIME
The NYT has hired David Brooks as an op-ed columnist. He'll write twice a week, starting in early September. Sounds like they're trying to add some political balance to the page, while keeping the style lively. Brooks is a terrific writer, and his big-government conservatism shouldn't upset the Times base--even though he doesn't think GWB is the devil.
It may be noteworthy that opinion editor Gail Collins, a Raines protege, reports not to Bill Keller but to Arthur Sulzberger Jr. The new regime may extend beyond the newsroom.