frank rich is a rock star

On a single Sunday, he gives us both this incandescently furious indictment of Bush's failings, and this lovely, thoughtful, probing review of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. I'm vaguely annoyed by the NYT's decision to put their op-ed columnists behind a pay-only wall simply because I buy their damn paper every day when I'm in the US, and when abroad, enjoy being able to read it for free. But frankly, I'm not really going to miss most the op-ed columnists (indeed, not ever reading Thomas Friedman again would likely have a beneficial impact on my blood pressure and mental health). Rich is the only exception--I'm sure we'll still have access to his reviews, but I'll truly miss read ing his biting commentary on the antics of the Bush administration and the US political elite in general. (Though not enough to pay for a damn online subscription!) So enjoy this one while you can--and if you're a subscriber without scruples about forwarding stuff to random non-paying Frank Rich fans stranded abroad, get in touch.