Very Heavy; Novak writes today: "My Brain Tumor"

[Laura PourMeADrink]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot moderator Democratic Underground)

http://www.creators.com/opinion/robert-novak.htmlMy Brain Tumor
Podcast available through:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The main reason I am writing this column is that many people have asked me how I first realized I was suffering from a brain tumor and what I have done about it.
But I also want to relate the reaction to my disease, mostly compassionate, that belies Washington's reputation.

The first sign that I was in trouble came on Wednesday, July 23, when my 2004 black Corvette struck a pedestrian on 18th Street in downtown Washington while I was on my way to my office.

I did not realize I had hit anyone until a shirt-sleeved young man on a bicycle, whom I incorrectly thought to be a bicycle messenger, jumped in front of my car to block the way. In fact, he was David A. Bono, a partner in the high-end law firm Harkins Cunningham. The bicyclist was shouting at me that I could not just hit people and then drive away. That was the first I knew about the accident. Mr. Bono called the police, and a patrolman soon arrived.

After I said I had no idea I had hit anyone until they flagged me down and informed me, Mr. Bono told The Washington Post, "I would not believe that." Fortunately, the investigating officer, P. Garcia, was a policeman who listened and apparently believed me. While Mr. Bono and other bystanders were taking on aspects of a mob, shouting "hit-and-run," Officer Garcia issued a right-of-way infraction against me, costing me $50, instead of a hit-and-run violation that would have been a felony. Following Officer Garcia's instructions, I promptly paid the $50 fine at Third District Police Headquarters in Northwest Washington, in cash and in person.

Officer Garcia's justification in believing me was soon confirmed by the diagnosis of my brain cancer, in which I have lost not only left peripheral vision but nearly all my left vision, probably permanently. Several people have asked me whether the person I hit was crossing in front of me on my left. I answer, "I never saw him."

[Arugula Latte]

1. Excuse me while I reach for something ...

:popcorn:

[malaise]

3. Funny how quickly he reached for

Mrs Kennedy after decades of attacking that family.

:popcorn:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. It would have been nice if he expressed some remorse

[wicket]

45. The Kennedys are such decent people

I love 'em!

[peacebird]

2. "But Joe and Valerie Wilson, attempting to breathe life into the Valerie Plame "scandal"

The fact he needs to insert THAT statement proves he was and IS nothing more than a partisan hack.

[wtmusic]

13. They didn't know he had cancer at the time.

The statement was issued right after the accident.

"Our sympathies go out to the victim of Novak’s action. Once again Novak has demonstrated his callous disregard for the rights of others, as well as his chronic inability to accept responsibility for his actions.

We have long argued that responsible adults should take Novak’s typewriter away. The time has arrived for them to also take away the keys to his Corvette. "

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/07/9107_joe_and_valerie_wilson_on_novak_hit_and_run.html

Novak egregiously leaves out this little detail, and never expresses regret. A truly reprehensible, self-absorbed human being.

[peacebird]

21. exactly - and he leaves out that HE exposed a covert operative, which could have been

a death sentence for people she worked with.....
He is a traitor.

And a self-righteous partisan hack.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. what little detail?

[wtmusic]

24. They made the statement before his diagnosis

Judging by context, they are delighting in his medical predicament.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Doesn't that just bite Novak's ass?

The people he has so vilified - Senator Kennedy, Al Hunt - have become kind friends to him at a terrible time in his life, offering him the kind of help I am certain he has never offered to anyone.

As for what Joe and Valerie Wilson did, well, I'm convinced that they hate being out of the spotlight, but I hope they regret issuing that gratuitous statement. They really should have known better.

It is unfortunate, indeed, that Robert Novak chose not to live his adopted religion, and, instead, has lived a life that has been cruel, cowardly, and destructive. That people like the Ted Kennedys are being good friends to him now shows him up for the scoundrel he has been.

[Tanuki]

17. I'm wondering if Joe and Valerie said it after the hit-and-run was reported

but before the tumor was diagnosed?

[wtmusic]

19. Yes - see #13. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

35. I'm sure they did.

But there was only a very short interval between those two events, and it's like they jumped in so fast, I have to ask: For what?

Yeah, I know how vile Novak is, there's no disputing that, but what was their point? I mean, enough, already. An old guy got hit by his car. That wasn't any occasion on which to try to capitalize. There were a lot of others who could have made cracks about Novak at that time, but they didn't.

I'm sure they regret doing it. But, sadly, their time is past. They did what they felt they had to do, but, all in all, I think - and it's just my opinion - they got bad advice as to how to behave. I remember seeing that picture of them in Vanity Fair, and thinking, "You just fucked it all up."

[Suich]

5. I'm not a fan of Mr. Novak's but

I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

[JVS]

7. LOL! Rest in peace, shithead!

[truedelphi]

42. Hiding my hands under my desk while I applaud you

He should have never been allowed to continue as a journalist when it became apparent that he was part and parcel of the outing of Valerie Plame.

And I fail to see how his having a brain tumor excuses his conduct for his activities in that matter, activities that endangered the lives of some Americans working for the government.

After all, it is not only Novak's life that is valuable - even the operatives working for the CIA clandestinely have valuable lives. And for Novak to serve, in a way, as their hit man, is beyond contempt.

If I were Valerie Plame, I wouldn't let it slide.

[Xipe Totec]

8. Is he blaming the tumor for supporting the Iraq war?

because if he's not, he can rot in hell for all I care.

[Hekate]

9. I'm sorry for his health troubles, which will likely kill him, but LOL he is partisan to the end!

I do not rejoice in his brain tumor, far from it, but I think the old guy will go down swinging.

Hekate

[Fumesucker]

10. Any of us over a certain age know we are living out a death sentence..

I would have been far more impressed if Novak had done a "Lee Atwater" and apologized for the damage he has caused.

As it is, this column is all about meeeeeeeeeeeee...

[iconicgnom]

11. The person I hit, identified by police as Don, with no fixed address, was taken to ...

Oh well then, so effing what? Compared to a nationally syndicated columnist with a brain tumor.

[wtmusic]

18. Right - like "no fixed address" should be part of the discussion.

His Republicanism is more debilitating than his tumor.

[gulliver]

25. Yep. Pretty scummy thing to say.

...but Novak has a brain tumor so that's OK too.

I was looking for the lines that said, "Even though the police could not give me Don's last name, I had my secretary go to the hospital to find out. Then I called Don to apologize for hitting him and to make sure he was all right."

I didn't see that line, of course. That is in the other alternate universe where Novak is not an ass.

[liberal renegade]

12. cancer sucks

regardless of who you are.

[searchingforlight]

14. I feel guilty about this but my first reaction was - he could never see out of his "left" eye.

I am sorry though. This is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

[Bunny]

15. What an asshole.

[Resuscitated Ethics]

16. He upended the Plames lives for cheap political points

Their statement was splashed before his tumor was diagnosed. I expect that statement was the result of a blogger at a party: he makes it seem like their publicist said it for punishment.
The big C.has an inhuman way of humanizing. I cherish any story that has "political enemies" dealing with lifes problems out of the hate glare.

All those specialists: must have uncommonly good healthcare.

"Enjoy every sandwich"

[nancyr]

20. He's still an evil man.

I can't work up much compassion for him. I'll save my sympathy for the people who really need it.

[Cleita]

23. I'm glad they took his keys away. Surely, he knew he had lost some vision

in his left eye and should have voluntarily stopped driving until the cause could be determined. It shows the lack of concern many old people have about their driving skills even though the signs are there. I know they were for me and it turned out that they were cataracts as I suspected, which fortunately surgery was able to correct. I still know I will have to give up driving in the future and will do so if I no longer have confidence in my driving abilities.

Other than that I do have sympathy for the old fart. Surviving that much cancer in the past certainly may have made him bitter and it was reflected in his poison pen.

[Stinky The Clown]

26. I hope he'll pardon me for not feeling any good will toward him

I'm sorry he's ill and I hope he recovers, but were he to die, I wouldn't miss him.

[madrchsod]

27. "sooner or later god`ll cut you down"

[kestrel91316]

I note that he is unrepentant about what he did to Valerie Plame.

He's Catholic. He goes straight to hell if he doesn't confess before he dies.

Cancer is sad. So is ruining someone's career and placing their life in jeopardy.

[kestrel91316]

28. I note that he is unrepentant about what he did to Valerie Plame.

He's Catholic. He goes straight to hell if he doesn't confess before he dies.

Cancer is sad. So is ruining someone's career and placing their life in jeopardy.

[depakid]

32. Quite the contrast with Lee Atwater...

[Gold Metal Flake]

29. I'll just take in my dancing shoes for a nice polish.

Maybe I'll start saving up my urine as well.

[kitkat65]

30. Apparently the tumor didn't affect the asshole part of his brain.

"But Joe and Valerie Wilson, attempting to breathe life into the Valerie Plame "scandal," issued this statement: "We have long argued that responsible adults should take Novak's typewriter away. The time has arrived for them to also take away the keys to his Corvette."

Asshole.

[pinto]

31. A note on copyrighted material - post no more than 4 paragraphs please.

Thanks.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

33. Please, God, don't ever let Bush call me while I'm heading into surgery!

[knitter4democracy]

34. I've lived through being told I didn't have long to live.

Worst week of my life (they changed their minds a week later and said I was fine). He's right--it seriously sucks.

It's amazing to me, though, that he made sure to get in his digs on Democrats, Duke, and the Wilsons. Good gracious, Sir, have you learned nothing in your trial?

[dflprincess]

36. I don't quite get why the tumor didn't keep him from seeing

the bicyclist in front of his car, but it did keep him from seening the guy bouncing off the hood of the car.

I also liked this line "..when my 2004 black Corvette struck a pedestrian". The Corvette didn't strike anyone - he hit the guy with the Corvette.

[lpbk2713]

37. Officer Garcia had no idea Novak made a lucrative career of being a liar.

Officer Garcia was putty in the hands of a pro like Novak. That's why he got off so easy.

---

---

[Crunchy Frog]

38. A narcissist to the end.

This is still all about him. He expresses no remorse whatsoever about any of the people he's hurt. He obviously cares less than nothing about the man he hit with his car, and still can't resist getting a little dig in at Plame and Wilson.

I'm glad that he at least gives credit to those, like the Kennedy's, who are far more generous of spirit than he is, and have rallied around him.

He has my sympathies for his struggle with a horrible disease, but I have yet to see it make him any more human.

[tularetom]

39. The people he treated like crap are showing some compassion

Those he sucked up to are basically ignoring him. - "Novak? He did a good job for us exposing Plame and all that but we don't need him anymore. What? He has a brain tumor? Gee, that's too bad. Now watch this drive."

I"m sorry to say my attitude is closer to the repubs.

Posting this is as close to giving a shit about Novak as I'm gonna get.

[lonestarnot]

40. Oh and his hearing in both fucking ears is gone too I guess. WTF

:wtf: :eyes: Makes me even wonder about the diagnosis. Fuck him.

[asdjrocky]

41. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

[Bob Dobbs]

43. This traitor deserves capital punishment.

It is too bad he won't have to stand trial and receive justice for his crimes against the people of America.

[Iggo]

44. Fuck Novak...

...sideways, and with sandpaper.