Good Omen At TNR

The utter collapse and degrading failure of The New Republic for the last fifteen years can only start by systematically breaking each and every finger of that damned hanger-on Martin Peretz. You've got to start somewhere, I suppose, and this is a beginning:

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes is the new owner of the New Republic, the 98-year-old liberal magazine that, like many of its print brethren, has struggled financially in an increasinlgy online world.

The New York Times reports that Hughes, who left Facebook to serve as social media director for Barack Obama in 2008, bought a majority stake in the company in a deal announced Friday. The 28-year-old will assume the role of both publisher and editor-in-chief. Richard Just, the magazine's current editor, will remain in his position overseeing the editorial side of the publication, and former editor-in-chief Marty Peretz will serve on the advisory board.