NYT Columnist ...

Ross Douthat was absent from his national platform, "during the weeks I just took off from writing"?

Umm, honestly no offense, but ... Who Knew? *

(Use it or lose it, kiddo. At least Dowd had a reputation/track record built, before taking the month of January off from her twice-a-week gig. Brooks/Krugs/Collins, from what I've seen, need time off, often, to write/edit their latest dead-tree books. And Sullivan, in retrospect, probably had sick/vacation/personal days to burn before leaving...)
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* Was there a paternity leave involved in there, or something? Anyway, welcome back.