Gail Collins, the former Times editorial page editor and current op-ed columnist, has come to the defense of colleague Maureen Dowd over attacks, including from the paper's own public editor Clark Hoyt, that the flame-haired pundit is brewing with sexism. And it is awesomely, and unintentionally, backhanded.

CONTINUED »

The position dictating how the rest of the world – that is, beside those who already view it as the bastion of the liberal agenda – sees the New York Times will fall back into the hands of a person with balls. In the literal sense. Like a certain British prime minister, Times editorial page editor Gail Collins has announced her departure ahead of time. Though, to be fair, she's given a date: Jan. 1. Filling her spot will be her No. 2, Andrew Rosenthal (as in son of A.M. Rosenthal). So what will Gail be doing after five years on the job? Official word has her headed for book leave, where she'll write a sequel to her 2003 tome America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines. We hear it's going to be called: America's Woman: 658 Years of Arianna Huffington.

Times Announces Change in Editor of Editorial Page [Katherine Seelye, NYT]