How to Get Your Op-Ed in the NYT

The New York Times won't print just any op-ed piece. Just because it comes from a U.S. senator and the presumptive Republican nominee for president doesn't give it any added weight.

The editors are tough.

The Times is struggling to make its case that the rejection of McCain's piece wasn't politically motivated.

Times officials said that the decision not to publish Mr. McCain’s submission should not be considered a total rejection of the article by the presumptive Republican nominee. Rather, David Shipley, editor of the Op-Ed page, kicked back the original version while offering suggestions for changes and revision.

Here’s Mr. Shipley’s email response on Friday to Michael Goldfarb, a member of the McCain team and frequent writer for the senator’s blog, McCainreport:

Dear Mr. Goldfarb,

Thank you for sending me Senator McCain’s essay.

I’d be very eager to publish the senator on the Op-Ed page.

However, I’m not going to be able to accept this piece as currently written. I’d be pleased, though, to look at another draft. Let me suggest an approach.

The Obama piece worked for me because it offered new information (it appeared before his speech); while Senator Obama discussed Senator McCain, he also went into detail about his own plans.

It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama’s piece. To that end, the article would have to articulate, in concrete terms, how Senator McCain defines victory in Iraq. It would also have to lay out a clear plan for achieving victory — with troops levels, timetables and measures for compelling the Iraqis to cooperate. And it would need to describe the senator’s Afghanistan strategy, spelling out how it meshes with his Iraq plan.

I am going to be out of the office next week. If you decide to re-work the draft, please be in touch with Mary Duenwald, the Op-Ed deputy. …

Again, thank you for taking the time to send me the Senator’s draft. I really hope we can find a way to bring this to a happy resolution.

Sincerely,

David Shipley

Shipley, a member of the "Clinton Administration from 1995 until 1997 as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Presidential Speechwriter," is hoping for a happy resolution. Isn't that nice?

McCain's "draft" just didn't make the grade, not enough details. It didn't meet Shipley's high standards.

Mark Levin understands the New York Times.

Levin offers this advice:

"How to get your op-ed in the NYT - Label it 'U.S Government: Top Secret'"

That would do it. That would get it on the front page.