Carlos Watson of MSNBC and TheStimulist.com profiles New York Times columnist Frank Rich in the context of his growing influence on the American political process.

Mr. Watson writes,

Rich doesn’t just challenge conventional assumptions, he’s able to deconstruct the political charades that often have draped over health care reform, the mess in Iraq, the intense Democratic presidential primary or even the stimulus package. He’s not as reliant on conventional punditry, and therefore his punditry doesn’t feel conventional. While his colleagues on the Times‘ op-ed page have also enjoyed a surge in popularity and relevance just as the newspaper itself is struggling, none has redirected the political conversation as regularly as Rich.

It’s hard to disagree. Mr. Rich has become a consistent voice on politics and public affairs, and rarely does a Sunday pass when his column fails to stir conversation on this blog and elsewhere.

I’m pleased that he’ll be at Personal Democracy Forum 2009 next week. His topic is “How the Internet Ecosystem Can Improve Journalism” and he’ll be joined by Karen Tumulty of TIME, Dan Gillmor of the Center for Citizen Media, Scott Simon of NPR and Clay Shirkey of NYU.