IN PRAISE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES — Josh Chafetz is absolutely right:

I think it’s somewhat biased to the left. Hell, I’ve even gone after one of its columnists in print. But in the end, it’s still probably the best newspaper on earth. If you want to really appreciate it, try reading only the British papers for a week.

So good on Last for reminding us: the Times is flawed, and criticism is important — it can help make it better — but it’s still pretty damned amazing, and it’s still the first stop in my morning reading, not because I’m looking for flaws, but because I’m looking for good, detailed, reliable reporting. And the Times usually — not always, but usually — delivers the goods.

I agree. I think, in fact, that it’s this kind of sentiment that makes a lot of people angry about Howell Raines’ efforts to turn the Times into a house organ for the McAuliffe wing of the Democratic Party.