Kristol Used His Column to Help McCain's Rebels

Senior campaign hands publicly bicker, with assist from Kristol

(NEWSER) - Senior McCain hands are wringing their dirty laundry in the public square thanks to Vanity Fair’s vicious piece on Sarah Palin, Politico reports. When William Kristol publicly accused chief strategist Steve Schmidt of being the story’s source, Schmidt fired back that it was “categorically untrue.” He tells Politico that Kristol has a vendetta against him because he tried to fire longtime McCain adviser—and Kristol buddy—Randy Scheunemann. More»

(NEWSER) - The New York Times has found its replacement for William Kristol’s column from the right—Ross Douthat of the Atlantic. Douthat, 29, will start mostly online next month but will eventually appear on Mondays opposite Paul Krugman, reports the Columbia Journalism Review, quoting a Times email. He’ll also blog for the paper, which he’d been doing for the Atlantic. More»

Ex-Bush speechwriter Frum heads pack that may include Noonan, Limbaugh

(NEWSER) - At the New York Times op-ed page, William Kristol is out; that leaves a spot open for another conservative to keep David Brooks company, writes Michael Calderone in Politico. Times editor Andy Rosenthal wouldn’t comment, but Calderone has guesses on a replacement:

1. David Frum: The former Bush speechwriter and National Review contributing editor is working on reinventing the GOP at NewMajority.com.

Because it won't let me attack Obama without criticizing me

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin seems to think the Constitution is supposed to protect her from criticism. On a conservative radio show, Palin said the media is unfairly attacking her for her shots at Obama on Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright, and that if the media “convinces enough voters that that is negative campaigning, then I don’t know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media.” More»

U2 singer joins Grey Lady's ranks as columnist

(NEWSER) - Bono may have finally found what he’s looking for: the New York Times’ op-ed section will be the U2 singer’s new print home, Radar reports. Editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal announced his newest columnist last night, telling Columbia's School of Journalism that the activist/sunglasses aficionado will pen between six and 10 columns a year, free of charge. More»