The wonderful thing about being a New York Times columnist is that it's like a Supreme Court appointment - they're stuck with you for a long time.
Never put the story in the lead. Let 'em have a hot shot of ambiguity right between the eyes.
What a joy it is to see really professional media manipulation.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
Nobody stands taller than those willing to stand corrected.
To be accused of 'channeling' is to be dismissed as a ventriloquist's live dummy, derogated at not having a mind of one's own.