Hard Times

A conversation that might be occurring, at a soccer field in New York City | Marvin Olasky

Imagine a bottom-line oriented New York Times executive pacing the sidelines at his son's soccer game last month. Walking with him was a Times editor whose son also played.

"She's on the war path," the executive muttered, referring to that day's diatribe by Times columnist Maureen Dowd.

"I don't know how you can say that," the editor responded sardonically. "All she wrote was, ‘W.'s presidency rushes backward, stifling possibilities, stirring intolerance, confusing church with state, blowing off the world, replacing science with religion, and facts with faith. We're entering another dark age, more creationist than cutting edge, more premodern than postmodern. Instead of leading America to an exciting new reality, the Bushies cocoon in a scary, paranoid, regressive reality. Their new health care plan will probably be a return to leeches.'"