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Posted on 08/18/2009 9:06:24 AM PDT by freespirited
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak, one of the nation’s most influential journalists, who relished his “Prince of Darkness” public persona, died at home here early Tuesday morning after a battle with brain cancer.
“He was someone who loved being a journalist, love journalism and loved his country and loved his family, Novak’s wife, Geraldine, told the Sun-Times on Tuesday.
Novak’s remarkable and long-running career made him a powerful presence in newspaper columns, newsletters, books and on television.
On May 15, 1963, Novak teamed up with the late Rowland Evans Jr. to create the “Inside Report” political column, which became the must-read syndicated column. Evans tapped Novak, then a 31-year old correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, to help with the workload of a six-day-a-week column.
Evans and Novak were the od d couple: Evans a Philadelphia blue blood and Yale graduate; Novak from Joliet, Ill. who attended the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana campus.
Novak handled the column solo after Evans retired in 1993. The Chicago Sun-Times has been Novak’s home paper since 1966.
Robert David Sanders Novak, 78, was born and raised in Joliet and his first newspaper jobs were with the Joliet Herald-News and, while a student at the University of Illinois, the Champaign-Urbana Courier. Novak maintained a lifelong tie to the University of Illinois with the school creating the Robert D. Novak chair of Western Civilization and Culture in 200X.
Mrs. Novak said that her husband passed away at 4:30 a.m., returning home after being hospitalized between July 10 and July 24. Novak’s malignant brain tumor was discovered July 27, 2008.
>>>> Novak used to be on it with Tom Braden, who was about 100 years old and a hardcore liberal. <<<<
I once sat in the WRC radio studio with Braden and Pat Buchanan for their DC talk radio show (I was working with the guy being interviewed by them).
They were both nice guys, Braden was gruff and I vaguely remember him chain smoking in the studio.
He died just a few months ago in his 90’s.
RIP, Mr. Novak, may The Lord Comfort your friends and loved ones.
Yeah, he was repeatedly anti-Israel, and had the chutzpah to say “Hamas was not a terrorist organization.”
I am sorry for his family’s loss, but he was not a great asset to the conservative movement.
That sums it up for me, as well.
RIP...prayers up.
Those on the left absolutely despise Robert Novak and Patrick Fitzgerald too. Novak and Fitzgerald have exposed large numbers of crooked left-wing scumbags over the years. (The freepers who baselessly attacked Patrick Fitzgerald as a "Democrat partisan" had egg all over their faces after the "partisan" Fitzgerald indicted a number of top Obama & Durbin supporters)
It's sad that so many freepers are willing to join the left in vilifying them because you can't get over ONE incident involving Novak and Fitzgerald actions on a person who happens to have the same party affiliation as you.
Judging a person's career by one incident and ignoring the dozens of times they've been on the right side is the height of narrowness. All the Patrick Fitzgerald haters on this board remind me of the Ken Starr derangement syndrome on the left. They had nothing but praise for Starr until they decided to destroy him over Monicagate. Talk about putting "party loyalty" over doing what's right for America.
MaestroLC is right. Any "downfall" of Bush's Administration was entirely due to it being their own fault. Alberto Gonzales is a fine example of that. It's his own fault he stepped in it as A.G., not the actions of others.
Here is an interview from 2007 for anyone interested:
http://www.koaradio.com/pages/rosenfiles.html?feed=119739&article=5892518
“I was just thinking about Bob Novak the other day, wondering how he was doing.”
“Me too. I thought I might have missed his passing somehow, so I looked it up and saw that he was still around.”
___________________________________________________________
WEIRD. Me too. I was talking to my brother and his wife on Sunday about all of the famous people who have died this year. And Bob’s name came up along with Patrick Swayze as people who we knew were terminally ill. Strange.
Novak was a good man, CNN was horrible to him - glad he finally walked out on that scum...
I didn’t agree with him all the time, but I can say that I will miss his insights as thoughtful as they were. RIP.
Richard Armitage has finally emerged from the cover-my-backside closet, "apologizing" on CBS for keeping quiet for almost three years about being the original source for Robert Novak's July 14, 2003, column stating that Joe Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA and had suggested him for a mission to Niger. He disingenuously blames his silence on Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's non-legally-based request--any witness is free to talk about his testimony--not to discuss the matter.
Put aside hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funds squandered on the investigation, New York Times reporter Judith Miller's 85 days in jail, the angst and legal fees of scores of witnesses, the White House held siege to a criminal investigation while fighting the war on terror, Karl Rove's reputation maligned, and "Scooter" Libby's resignation and indictment. By his silence, Mr. Armitage is responsible for one of the most factually distorted investigations in history.
There is a reason the old Watergate question--What did he know and when did he know it?--has become part of our investigative culture. It provides a paradigm for parsing a complicated factual scenario.
You know Fitgerald is from Chicago don't you?
200X is a Roman number. It translates to 2010.
Rest in Peace “Prince of Darkness” - loved your commentary.
Same here...I keep reminding myself he was famous before RR was president. It was a different time.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Sad news indeed. Enjoyed his candor and his cantankerous (sp?) ways, he had a fan in me. RIP
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