by Patrick J. Buchanan – December 9, 2002

Just as the Battle of Gettysburg was about far more than who would control the tiny Pennsylvania town, so the Battle of Augusta National Golf Club is taking on an importance far beyond the issue of whether the famed Georgia club admits women as members.

The New York Times and liberal-activist editor Howell Raines have decided to make Augusta a crusade in the culture war. Raines has thrown off all pretense of objectivity – using not only his editorial page, but his front page, his news pages and his sports pages to break Augusta and club chairman “Hootie” Johnson.