Robert Novak
Robert ("Bob") Novak (1931-2009) was a longtime columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times[1] and television commentator who became a leading conservative voice in journalism. A convert to Catholicism after he became a conservative, Novak was an insightful critic of liberal policies and an informed writer about politics in general. Novak passed away at age 78 after a battle with brain cancer. A 1952 graduate of Northwestern University and member of Tau Delta Chapter Alpha Epsilon Pi. He was a veteran of the Korean War, having risen to the rank of lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Novak was a movement conservative, providing strong intellectual reasons for his positions. Novak was a leading social and economic conservative in the media. At times, like colleague Pat Buchanan, he challenged what neoconservatives call "free trade" policies.
Novak, as the leading conservative reporter, is credited with inspiring many young conservative writers,[2]such as Tim Carney, a staff columnist at The Washington Examiner and author of the 2009 work Obamanomics.
He is well-known among the general public for several reasons:
- his publicizing the quote from a Democratic Senator (later revealed to be Thomas Eagleton) that "people don’t know [Democratic Presidential nominee George] McGovern is for amnesty, abortion, and acid." Based partly on this quote, which stuck to McGovern, he lost in a landslide (ironically, after first picking Eagleton as his vice presidential candidate).
- his role in the Valerie Plame Wilson leak affair.
- his autobiography, Prince of Darkness: Fifty Years Reporting in Washington, which used his nickname "Prince of Darkness" for his sometimes pessimistic outlook.
- he was a long-time co-host of CNN's Crossfire]] and a former panelist on PBS's The McLaughlin Group.
Pro-life
After Novak's conversion to Catholicism, he changed his view on abortion, "When we started the column, Rowly and I were neutral on abortion, maybe leaning toward pro-choice. I began to read, think about it, and by the time I embraced Catholicism, I was adamantly against abortion. I'm happy that I moved in that direction." More recently, Novak exposed the relationship Kathleen Sebelius had with George Tiller saying, [she is] "the national pro-choice poster girl.” [3]
Books by Robert Novak
- Lyndon B. Johnson: The Exercise of Power, by Rowland Evans, Robert Novak, New American Library, New York, 1966.
