B&W: You were very assertive against Paul Krugman. Do you ever talk to the guy?

DO: No. Though I have to say if I saw Paul Krugman tomorrow we would probably be more cordial than I would be with many of Krugman's supporters who see me as the devil incarnate...

&W: What do you regret?

DO: Oh, I paid too much attention to my critics. I was a little obsessed about what people were saying about me. I'm not certain about this but there was a certain amount of triangulation and sail-trimming, you know, "the left's mad at me and the right's happy, so maybe I should do something for the left." Or "Israelis like me too much, so now I have to do something to show that I'm fair to the Palestinians as well." I was so determined to try to make everybody happy.

B&W: Don't you think you got that?

DO: Not to the Krugman-ites...

B&W: Do you ever miss your job at the Times?

DO: There are moments when I miss it. There are a few things I miss, primarily when there is something that's so juicy, like the Duke Lacrosse team or Linda Greenhouse this week. The other thing I miss about it is to be as frank as possible, I miss the audience. There's nothing like having a regular column. As Paul Krugman knows, to have a regular column in the Times is to have a following. I'm not suggesting my following is nearly as loving, as devoted as Krugman's. I mean, he's a rock star. I've written cover stories in major American magazines. Nothing compares to a regular, repeating slot in The New York Times.