William Safire, the conservative voice on the New York Times Op-Ed page for more than three decades, will end his regular column in early 2005, a Times spokeswoman said Monday. “He’s written it for a long time and has been talking to [Times Publisher] Arthur [Sulzberger Jr.] about this for a year and a half,” said spokeswoman Catherine Mathis. “His last column will be Jan. 24.”Safire, 74, joined the paper in 1973 after working as a speechwriter for President Nixon, and he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1978 for distinguished commentary. He plans to continue his Sunday New York Times Magazine “On Language” feature, which began in 1979, Mathis said, but he will end his syndicated column.
Somehow, I don’t think I’m on the short list for a replacement….