FEBRUARY 3, 2009 --

William Kristol’s New York Times column, January 26, ended with the thought that President Obama would be serving the nation if he restored liberalism to the “fighting faith, unapologetically patriotic, and strong in the defense of our liberty,: as, peer Kristol, it was in the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

And just below the column, called “Will Obama Save Liberalism?” were these words: “This is William Kristol’s last column.”

This statement caused LPR no little concern. Was Mr.. Kristol giving up punditry? And if so, why?

The answer appeared in the Times, next day, in a short article by Richard Perez-Pena, reporting that Kristol and the Times “have quietly ended their relationship after little more than a year….” Thank heavens Mr. Kristol is, apparently, all right.

The Times also reported that Kristol would be writing a monthly column for The Washington Post and its blog, Post-Partisan.

Mr. Kristol is, of course, regarded as a right winger (LPR is not certain, though, that he qualifies as “all right” – politically, of course).

Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor of the Times indicated he was sad that he could not say whether Kristol would be succeeded by another conservative.

Mr. Perez-Pena reported that the “political left” was very critical of the paper’s decision to engage Kristol, and “many of the columns he wrote.”

LPR has noticed that the letters to the editor page of The New York Times, of late, seems to have less political diversity than previously. In the event The New York Times has not decided to speak in one voice, LPR would accept offer of a Times column.