Bob Novak On Valerie Plame Affair: "The hell with you. They didn’t ruin me. I have a good life."

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Bob Novak On Valerie Plame Affair: "The Hell With You"



http://www.washingtonian.com/print/articles/6/173/9989.html

Bob Novak has been covering politics--and making people mad--for half a century. Now battling a brain tumor, he talks about his illness, the best and worst presidents, and what he'd do differently.

Whether you like him or hate him, Robert Novak's combination of insider dope, political pronouncements, and glowering TV presence have made him a Washington institution. So the announcement in July that he was suspending his newspaper column because of a brain tumor came as a jolt. What other journalist has been tearing up the town with so much relish for the past 51 years?

I spent some time with Novak five years ago for The Washingtonian, chronicling his journey from secular Jew to devout Catholic. Somewhat to my surprise, the scowling, sardonic columnist turned out to be a peach of a subject. He gave me plenty of time in spite of his killer schedule and seemed utterly candid. No subject was off limits.

Let’s talk about the Valerie Plame affair, which caused you so much grief. If you had it to do over again, would you reveal who she was?

If you read my book, you find a certain ambivalence there. Journalistically, I thought it was an important story because it explained why the CIA would send Joe Wilson—a former Clinton White House aide with no track record in intelligence and no experience in Niger—on a fact-finding mission to Africa. From a personal point of view, I said in the book I probably should have ignored what I’d been told about Mrs. Wilson.

Now I’m much less ambivalent. I’d go full speed ahead because of the hateful and beastly way in which my left-wing critics in the press and Congress tried to make a political affair out of it and tried to ruin me. My response now is this: The hell with you. They didn’t ruin me. I have my faith, my family, and a good life. A lot of people love me—or like me. So they failed. I would do the same thing over again because I don’t think I hurt Valerie Plame whatsoever.

[Xipe Totec]

1. That's the tumor talking n/t

[Wiley50]

20. He's always been a tumor talking

A cancer on our body politic

[louis-t]

2. Wait , "no track record in intel, no experience in Niger"???

Are we talking about the same Joe Wilson?

What the? I did a search on Joe Wilson and the first 20 results are right-wing artcles claiming "Joe Wilson lied" and "Joe Wilson fabricated evidence" Most of the links directed me to the same 2 or 3 articles and Limbaugh and Hannity's sites. Is this the result of right-wing smear machine? Even the one link that said "Wilson Vindicated" and noted that Wilson DID have exoerience in Niger directed me to a repug blogger site that talked in circles.

[skiddlybop]

3. Hm. There you are.

Doesn't he get that God gave him a brain tumor for it?

Happened to Lee Atwater too.

Guess he's now too incapacitated to...connect...the...dots...

(saying it slow for him.)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. "My black corvette is totally boss."

[Recursion]

10. "ask the bike courier I ran over with it" NT

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. In Novak's defense...

he ran over a homeless guy.

The bicyclist just chased him down after he tried to flee the scene.

[Recursion]

18. Oh, well if it was just a homeless guy...

:eyes:

Somehow I remembered that backwards: Novak hits courier, homeless guy reports it.

[progressoid]

19. And it totally makes up for my shriveled weenie.

[Demobrat]

5. Once and asshole always an asshole.

Brain tumor or no.

[gratuitous]

6. So an act of treason during wartime

Novak is okay with that because he's still got his good life. How nice for him. Sucks to be one of the folks who got killed because Plame's cover was blown.

[Mari333]

13. no one in the bush admin or part of it is being held accountable

no one. Thieves, liars, and out and out traitors all walking away scot free. and no one seems to care.

[closeupready]

7. "To hell with you" is the voice of a guilty conscience.

Shame on you, Bob Novak. :mad:

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. Your life made others miserable, Bob.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. Having a brain tumor hasn't stopped him from being an absolute asshole.

[Vickers]

12. "I have my faith, my family, and a good life."

Dude, your afterlife is going to totally suck.

[zoner4]

16. yup

[Bunny]

14. "I don't think I hurt Valerie Plame whatsoever"???????

:wtf: He ruined her career, compromised untold numbers of her associates in the field, yet he did her no harm whatsoever? What an ass.

[librechik]

22. not for lack of trying, though

traitor--should be on Death Row, instead of his comfortable home.

[Stellabella]

15. Call the waaahhhhmmmmbulance!

It is incredible to me that slime like Novak, after the things he said about President Clinton and HIS FAMILY, has the nerve to complain about 'left-wing critics' calling out his treason.

[jimshoes]

17. ESAD, bob

Oh and FU

[pleah]

21. Novack is still alive? Damn!

I thought he croaked already.

[Libertyfirst]

23. I just had a message from the worms for Novak.

"Find someone else to clean your lousy bones."