The New Republic has a good, reported piece on the decision to hire Bill Kristol at the New York Times. Among the things we learn is that Arthur Sulzberger is terrified of Rupert Murdoch, wanted a "lighting rod" conservative (so, someone polarizing, rather than thoughtful), and thought he'd be aping his father's decision to hire William Safire. We also learn that William Safire thought the hire stupid, that Kristol is widely considered an untalented writer who phones in pieces, that Time magazine was paying him $5 a word for his column, and that Times staffers are not pleased with this decision.
