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Leonard Pitts Jr.: Novak's illness is nothing to celebrate
Sacramento Bee ^ | 8/7/8 | Leonard Pitts, Jr.

Posted on 08/07/2008 3:16:36 PM PDT by SmithL

Back in 1998, he made a comment on CNN — what it was is not material here — that I considered beyond the pale. I decided I could henceforth do without his opinions and insights. He impressed me as a distinctly disagreeable man. And that was well before he outed covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.

When the news broke a few days ago that Novak had a brain tumor and would retire, I was not made prostrate by grief. What I felt was that whisper of common mortality, that sense of there-but-for-the-grace-of-God one usually feels when tragedy strikes someone who is known to you, but not too closely. I felt sorry for the man and for his loved ones. It did not occur to me to celebrate their misfortune.

In this, I am evidently different from a number of observers who have infested Internet Web sites with exultation over the columnist's diagnosis. To be sure, the majority of bloggers and posters — even those offput by Novak's often brusque conservatism and abrupt personality — have wished him well. But there has been no shortage of those who were unable to attain that level of grace. One calls Novak's fate evidence of God. Another calls him a scumbag. Still another claims this proves "Republicanism" is a mental illness. LOL, it says.

And then there's the message board of Novak's home paper, the Chicago Sun-Times, where whoever is in charge of deleting offensive content is surely working overtime to keep up with the invective. I managed to snag two of the messages before the censor got hold of them. One expressed the hope that Novak "suffers like the victims of his lies." Another said, "May he rest in pain." There is nothing new here. Similar responses attended the late Tony Snow's battle

(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: cialeak; novak; robertnovak
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1 posted on 08/07/2008 3:16:36 PM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL
And that was well before he outed covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.

UGH! She wasnt covert you buffoon
2 posted on 08/07/2008 3:18:27 PM PDT by TheRedSoxWinThePennant
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To: SmithL

It is funny when the left realizes that the most hate-filled posters are on their side.


3 posted on 08/07/2008 3:18:50 PM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
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To: SmithL
Sorry Lenny, but you get no applause for refusing to participate in smearing a dying man.

In fact, why don't you write an article on what makes the liberal character so dark & ugly?

4 posted on 08/07/2008 3:23:16 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: TheRedSoxWinThePennant

‘And that was well before he outed covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.

UGH! She wasnt covert you buffoon’

And Novack didn’t “out” her. Richard Armitage did. Perhaps this news man should read the news on occasion.


5 posted on 08/07/2008 3:23:59 PM PDT by dbacks (Should we really elect a man that would not be allowed to be an airport baggage screener?)
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To: SmithL
I met Mr. Novak at the Des Moines Midwest Republican Leadership Conference in 1987. I was working as an advance man for the Haig campaign and he was covering the caucuses. He's something of a curmudgeon, but otherwise a nice man and VERY knowledgeable! I wish him a speedy recovery.
6 posted on 08/07/2008 3:24:14 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (Barack Obama: In Error and arrogant -- he's errogant!)
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To: SmithL
Back in 1998, he made a comment on CNN — what it was is not material here — that I considered beyond the pale.

Well then, I guess that's how he earned the moniker "Prince of Darkness" from his liberal-minded 'colleagues? Please it's not like your side, Mr. Pitts, doesn't make a half-dozen outrageous statements every weekend.

Plame wasn't covert. It's amazing that the liberals can't read & apply the Law. They have to let some 'expert' interpret everything for them.

7 posted on 08/07/2008 3:24:24 PM PDT by Tallguy ("The sh- t's chess, it ain't checkers!" -- Alonzo (Denzel Washington) in "Training Day")
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To: SmithL

Typical cowardly screed from Pitts.

He repeats every nasty thing said about Novak, then pretends to be above it all.


8 posted on 08/07/2008 3:25:04 PM PDT by VoiceOfBruck (www.justiceforterry.org)
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To: SmithL; All

I understand much of the mendacious malice on the left, I’ve witnessed it for 30+ years since I entered college.....

......... but I don’t understand the pure imbecility of someone (such as some of the leftist posters cited in the article) who may be a big Ted Kennedy fan, who “thinks” (I use that word advisedly) that the brain tumor killing Robert Novak is somehow more “karmic” than the one killing Ted Kennedy. I would apply a similar criticism to Jerry Falwell or anyone else who claims to see the hand of God in any terrible event(s) that occur to humans — I do not believe we are privy to any such specifics of God’s will, but it certainly does not make sense to look at two nearly identical fact patterns of cancer (Novak and Kennedy) and believe that one is karmic (or divine) retribution while the other is not.


9 posted on 08/07/2008 3:25:37 PM PDT by Enchante (If oil was botox then Nancy Pelosi would have us drilling everywhere!!! (hat tip, STARWISE))
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To: Always Right
It is funny when the left realizes that the most hate-filled posters are on their side.

For some of us, it was just the wake-up call that we needed.

10 posted on 08/07/2008 3:27:28 PM PDT by Zero Sum (Liberalism: The damage ends up being a thousand times the benefit! (apologies to Rabbi Benny Lau))
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To: SmithL

Leonard Pitts Jr.

11 posted on 08/07/2008 3:27:55 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: SmithL

It’s cute how they always find the one or two right-wing people who say outrageous things (like Savage and Coulter) to show that EVERYBODY does it. They will never be honest enough to mention how there is a veritable avalanche of nastiness whenever a right winger is fighting for his or her life, and there is usually graciousness from the right whenever a left-winger is in the same position.


12 posted on 08/07/2008 3:30:33 PM PDT by winner3000
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To: skeeter

“Sorry Lenny, but you get no applause for refusing to participate in smearing a dying man.”

Yes indeed, that is common courtesy.

The fact that Molly Ivins spit on the grave of John Connally some time ago, before her own untimely demise, clued me in that many on the left lack that common courtesy. It’s nice to know that Pitts recognizes this flaw for what it is, but as is typical for him, he cant see it as an especial issue on the left.

Funny, but a lot of us see the leftists as potty-mouthed insane venemous ingrates who put politics above everything ... are we wrong? ....

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2008/08/what.html

“In fact, why don’t you write an article on what makes the liberal character so dark & ugly?”
He is one of those liberals who is so steeped in his own sides bias, he cant see it.

Note how he says that he stopped even reading Novak since 1998. Actually Pitts has said disagreable and stupid stuff quite a bit ... not sure why I keep reading him.


13 posted on 08/07/2008 3:43:01 PM PDT by WOSG (http://no-bama.blogspot.com/ - NObama, stop the Hype and Chains candidate)
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To: Anti-Bubba182

Mr. Pitts, you are a liar, because you perpetuate the lie that Novak “outed” plame. Wilson and Armitage did that, not Novak, not Libby, not Cheney, not Bush, not Rove. Wilson and Armitage. Get it?


14 posted on 08/07/2008 3:50:18 PM PDT by clintonh8r (Fire mission!)
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To: dbacks

Yes, she was covert. Ask Libby about it.


15 posted on 08/07/2008 3:54:05 PM PDT by B4Ranch (Having custody of a loaded weapon does not arm you. The skill to use the weapon is what arms a man.)
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To: TheRedSoxWinThePennant

The press gets away with whatever they want. “Repeat big lie..” etc. They are masters of this kind, look around people!


16 posted on 08/07/2008 3:57:40 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: WOSG

Was that the John Connally who was governor of Texas? With JFK at Dallas??


17 posted on 08/07/2008 3:59:09 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: dbacks
"And Novack didn’t “out” her. Richard Armitage did. Perhaps this news man should read the news on occasion."



Oh he knows who it was, as do all the "news" people. Just the mere use of the name Armitage is enough for any and all msm practioners to ignore, obfuscate or even claim they didn't quite hear what you said. It's funny and sad all at the same time. Armitage was "their" democrat leaker in the Bush administration but they all, to a man, act as though they've never heard, seen or known of him. A book could be written about that masked man hiding in plain sight.
18 posted on 08/07/2008 4:11:07 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: TheRedSoxWinThePennant
lpitts@miamiherald.com

I just emailed him, advising him to do a little research...

19 posted on 08/07/2008 4:14:23 PM PDT by ErnBatavia (...forward this to your 10 very best friends....)
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To: clintonh8r
You forgot to point out how good lookin' he is....


20 posted on 08/07/2008 4:16:42 PM PDT by ErnBatavia (...forward this to your 10 very best friends....)
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