Bob Novak annouces retirement

It is online at the Sun-Times (I just caught this on Hardball):  Sun-Times article on retirement

Apparently the recently discovered brain tumor has a "dire" prognosis (according to Novak), so he is retiring to face the radiation/chemo required for treatment.

I know that most of us that frequent DKos don't find his point-of-view to be very similar to ours (and maybe quite offensive at times), but at least I never wish any sort of pain like he is likely to face on my enemies, let alone my friends.

It is quite the coincidence that two of the most prominent Washington figures on opposite sides of the political spectrum face a very daunting disease.  My prayers will be with him (as well as with Senator Kennedy).

•  Yeah, I can't wish a brain tumor

  upon anyone.  He has always produced interesting - if incorrect - polititcal insight.  I'm even almost ready to forgive him for his recent hit-and-run of an octigenarian.  Well, almost.

  by cjaznik45 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 02:56:16 PM PST

  •  n/t

    by f furney on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:07:27 PM PST

•  I'm sad for him to have to go through this...

  I would be for anyone.

  But I won't miss his face on the television!  (Never read his stuff, but it was hard to avoid him on some shows.)

  by JWC on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 02:56:24 PM PST

  •  I also found him annoying both on TV

    and in print, but there were some times where he had the ear of those on the Right that no one else seemed to be getting to, and if you could wade through the opinion, there were some good nuggets about how the other side was thinking...

    by SC damn yankee on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 02:59:51 PM PST

•  Article on Website is

  not hardly as long a this diary.

  by SC damn yankee on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 02:57:13 PM PST

•  Yeah, I can't frickin' stand him, but

  still, I wouldn't wish that on anyone either, no matter how badly I dislike them. I don't think the announcement of his retirement is sad at all, to tell the truth, but given the circumstances, I won't exactly jump for joy over it.

  by Leigh3352 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 02:59:23 PM PST

•  Maybe he'll have a revelation

  and tell the truth about a few things for a change. Start with the Plame affair.
   Good luck to him, he'll need it.

  by KenBee on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:00:43 PM PST

•  i only hope he gets the opportunity ...

  to see himself as others do before he passes.

  bless his soul . . . and may the gods forgive him.

  by trippinsf on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:00:49 PM PST

•  You mean that some brain surgeon

  is willing to hazard the medical opinion that Bob Novack has a brain?

  by jfdunphy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:01:46 PM PST

  •  I wish the brain tumour

    a speedy recovery from Bob Novak.

    by Antacid on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:14:35 PM PST

    •  Oops. Forgot the transatlantic culture gap

      Respected satirical magazine Private Eye's cover after 9/11:

      Photo of the twin towers burning, caption: ARMAGEDDON!!!!

      (Same issue included a cut-out form for cancelling subscriptions)

      by Antacid on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:25:17 PM PST

      •  A tumor on American Democracy....

        gets a tumor....I get it!

        by comeinpbrstreetgang on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:53:50 PM PST

    •  Oscar Wilde grade riposte! LOL! n/t

      by jfdunphy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 06:00:00 PM PST

•  pray for his health

   We'll set aside whatever we knew about his career and pray he has a positive outcome in his treatment, just as we did for Senator Kennedy.

  by Stranded Wind on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:02:30 PM PST

•  Its dire,

  which pretty much says it all.  

  by GlowNZ on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:02:37 PM PST

•  And the last bit of reporting he got

  to do was being used by right-wingers to plant a false story about McCain naming his veep.

  by Leftovers on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:02:49 PM PST

•  Karma for outing Valerie Plame n/t

  by dagnome on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:05:50 PM PST

  •  Boo.

    Plame's career was ruined, and what he assisted in was treasonous, but you have to have a harsh view of the universe to believe Karma serves death upon the unethical.

    by cjaznik45 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:15:02 PM PST

    •  Mindoca had a lot of nerve hide-rating my

      comment.  What about my psot was offensive?  That I don't wish death of Novak?

      Explain your donut, sir.

      by cjaznik45 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:28:40 PM PST

      •  Oh, sorry, Just saw this tonight.

        I misread your comment and so am reversing the TR.
        I apologize fo the mistake.

        And p.s. -- I am a ma'am.

        Thanks and apologies again!

        by mindoca on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 09:28:54 PM PST

      •  Shoot -- too late to officially reverse :(

        But definitely reversed in spirit.

        Thanks!

        by mindoca on Wed Aug 06, 2008 at 09:33:28 PM PST

    •  How many HRs does it take to change a light bulb?

      None! Because it's better to sit in the dark than read your tasteless jokes, you 'orrible man.

      by Antacid on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:30:56 PM PST

      •  I wasn't making a joke. Please explain.

        ????????

        by cjaznik45 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:35:15 PM PST

        •  I was also making a joke.

          A question/answer joke. The subject line was the question, the text the answer.

          The point being, that people are going to throw HRs around on this thread because they're being self-consciously proper in the face of Novak's circumstances: in my metaphor they'd rather 'sit in the dark' than read posts even vaguely critical of him.

          Yeah, I suck at humour.

          by Antacid on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:44:26 PM PST

          •  Thanks. Sorry for being so dense. lol

            by cjaznik45 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:50:27 PM PST

  •  That outing was a felony

    in a parallel American reality where we're a nation of laws. He's an old douchébag for doing that.

    by GW Chimpzilla on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:18:59 PM PST

•  This has been diaried repeatedly

  here and here.

  Consider deleting and hope the nasty comments keep away.

  I never liked his coulmn and thought what he did in the Plame case was dispicable.

  He has brain cancer and will most likely die sooner than later.  I hate to anyone experience the kind of suffering that inevitably goes with brain cancer.  So Bob, if you're out there, best wishes for your health.

  by ccyd on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:07:03 PM PST

•  Will he pull a Lee Atwater

  and express death-bed regret for a lifetime of spreading rightwing crap? Two mojo points says he will.

  by Bob Love on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:17:28 PM PST

  •  Never.....he'll be a douchbag to the end. nt

    by comeinpbrstreetgang on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:48:52 PM PST

•  this will be a year long remembered....

  ..the deaths of Buckley and Helms, and the end of Novak.

  Metaphor for the end of the modern conservative era, IMO.

  by johnviking on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:21:45 PM PST

•  just an FYI

  brain cancer is not an incredibly bad thing to die from. I've had several relatives die from brain tumors and it's relatively painless with proper medical care, which I'm sure Bob Novak will receive.

  by peglyn on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:49:16 PM PST

  •  Interesting.....

    it's relatively painless with proper medical care, which I'm sure Bob Novak will receive.

    And which I am sure he would deny to anyone not able to pay cash....like his rich ass!

    by comeinpbrstreetgang on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 03:52:24 PM PST

•  I wanted to see him go....

  But NEVER like this..  I read him when I was in Chicago, didn't like it much, but he, Ebert, Royko and Bob Feder were required reading.  

  Reading him, you wanted him to go away often, but I can't wish this on anyone.  

  To me it's kind of like when Ronnie left office.  Once his hand was off the bomb, and we found out about his illness he was back to being "America's President".  Hated the things he did, but I can't wish THAT illness on anyone either.

  Godspeed Robert, and good luck...

  by Losty on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 04:41:16 PM PST

•  I can hope that he has a Medicare Advantage

  health plan and needs to fail all the standard treatments before he can be authorized for more aggressive therapy.

  Unfortunately he can pay for his medications from his salary for outing CIA agents, supporting fqscists etc.

  My hope therefore is that he live for a long time with his disease getting progressively more impaired and hope that before he dies, he, like Lee Atwater, regrets what he has done.

  May the ghosts of anyone killed by his outing of Valerie Plame's network haunt his waking moments and his dreams.

  by suse on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 04:48:22 PM PST