I have a very hard time finding that kind of angle in his stuff very often at all. And I'm certainly not alone. I've been reading him for over 20 years now (not all that faithfully, mind you — but enough; he's a very capable writer when he wants to be).
If I hallo'ing his post at the Trib I'm sure I could offer him a ton of pointers on how he could better emulate what you just credited him with there.
For starters, he could get away from his desk every now & again...