I certainly wouldn't expect anything objective or intelligent from the New York Times--any more than I would have expected objectivity or intelligence from Pravda under the Soviet Union or some German publication under the Nazi regime.
The intelligent mind can hardly deign to forbear a condescending chuckle that anyone would actually read that propaganda rag--let alone spend money on it.
"Who is Paul Johnson? I know nothing about him. I've never heard of him."
Johnson is an incredibly prolific English writer of popular history. You would like him. His writing is first rate, he is conservative,and he LOVES Ronald Reagan. He is not as fastidious about his footnotes and minor details as the average historian, perhaps, but he tells a wonderful story and gets the broad sweep right. I find him pretty accurate about the important issues.