World

Robert Novak Dies at 78

by Jordan Yerman | August 18, 2009 at 08:10 am

213 views | 40 Recommendations | 7 comments

Robert Novak, columnist, journalist and political commentator, has died at age 78 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer.

Bob Novak's career spanned several decades and several administrations.

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.

Known as a conservative writer and personality but actually a registered Democrat, Robert Novak wrote Inside Report since 1963, and was a mainstay on several political talk shows, including CNN's Crossfire. Most recently, Novak drew attention for outing Valerie Plame as a CIA operative, later identifying Karl Rove as the source of the leak.

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Tina Kells

flagged this story as Breaking

at 08:11 on August 18th, 2009

jordan, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Roy C

at 09:53 on August 18th, 2009

The leak was Novak's and it was perfectly legal, given that any CIA operative who has been stateside for more than five years is not protected.

Rove was the source of the information. Information, even classified information, which this was not because of the five-year stateside rule, is often shared to allow reporting to be done with a degree of objectivity that withholding the information would not permit. It is shared with the spoken premise that it is not to be divulged.

Rove did not expect that information to be released, that is, leaked, but it was essential to explain the relationship of Plaine's husband to the whole yellow-cake uranium story, uranium which was later found in Iraq, later on.

Novak was also Jewish, but he converted to Roman Catholicism only in the last five or ten years. The why and wherefore of that would have been a fascinating interview.

dunkelberg

at 10:03 on August 18th, 2009

An illiustrious career ended as a tool for a treasonous act.

It's so very sad.

politisite

at 11:07 on August 18th, 2009

Thanks Jordan. I read his work as part of the mass of right/left reads. He was right more often then not. I have missed his work sense his retirement. He was alot more relaxed and engaging as he appeared on tv. I wish folks could have seen more of his private side.