Bob Novak

Robert Novak passed away today.

I first encountered his name in the Indianapolis News. As a youngster, I read syndicated columnists, such as William F. Buckley and Evans and Novak. I usually didn't detect a particular ideology when I read Evans and Novak, though I recall one column in which they warned about the Soviet Union...while Reagan was dealing with Gorbachev. So I guess they weren't of the "You can trust the U.S.S.R., disarm, and sing 'kum ba yah'" crowd.

I first saw Novak on an episode of Crossfire. When I watched the show in the 1990's, John Sununu often represented the right, but there were many episodes in which Novak did so. I thought he was loud and obnoxious, and his voice was rather high-pitched and irritating. But he kind of grew on me.

As I read about Novak today, I learned things I did not know before. I remember a John Birch Society book, Gary Allen's Richard Nixon: The Man Behind the Mask, which referred to "the liberal Evans and Novak." That somewhat confused me, and I wondered if Bob Novak was ever a liberal. I learned that he grew up in a Republican family but became a Democrat, yet, even as a Democrat, he had libertarian and hawkish ideas.

Novak was also a critic of Israel, which I like somewhat. Sure, I think Israel has a right to exist, and I don't think she's an evil country. But I had problems with how she unleashed her wrath on innocent Palestinians. What would I recommend? Probably a proportional response, rather than killing lots of innocent people.

Novak also converted to Catholicism at the age of 67, prompting Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to remark, "Well, we’ve now made Bob a Catholic. The question is, Can we make him a Christian?"

Novak was also married to the same woman for decades, which is a plus in my book. Lyndon Johnson gave the wedding ceremony.

As far as his outing of Valerie Plame goes, no comment. He has been criticized for this. Neo-Con Bill Kristol even called him a traitor. But Novak said he took refuge in the fact that many people liked him. I was also interested to learn that Novak was an early critic of the Iraq War.

R.I.P. Bob Novak.