The American Spectator

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Another Perspective

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"His presumption was that the opposition to Barry Goldwater was so extensive that deadlock was inevitable. Nixon figured he would resolve it as the compromise candidate," Novak wrote in his memoirs. When the deadlock didn't happen Nixon tried to force it.

Novak reported all of this in a November, 1964 Esquire article. His relations with Nixon were frosty for years afterwards.

THAT'S THE PRICE of maintaining your independence. He accumulated enemies like barnacles on a battleship.

It's no secret that many people viewed the Plame affair as a long-overdue comeuppance, regardless of what Novak actually unmasked Valerie Plame as being. Former Post ombudsman Geneva Overholser called him "a disgrace to journalism" to his face.

Of course die-hard liberals hated him the most. I remember mentioning his latest column to a fairly prominent left-wing writer over coffee one morning. Our pleasant conversation immediately turned south. Soon I was wiping spittle from my lapel.

"Novak said what?" snarled the writer. "Somebody's paying him off!"

The possibility that Novak's reporting was actually right, well, that was never contemplated by my liberal friend. I always thought it'd be a great story to tell Novak.

Not sure I'll ever get the chance now.

JUST LAST YEAR he published his memoirs, The Prince of Darkness, which just happens to also be one of the best alternative histories of 20th century American politics ever written.

Reviewing it for Doublethink, I wrote, "one does begin to wonder how much longer he can keep it going." After all, the man had suffered through "four cancer scares and two broken hips, among other health problems."

I pointed out that memoirs like this one are "usually preludes to retirement," but in the end doubted that Novak would be giving up his "first and truest love" of breaking stories anytime soon.

Boy does it ever smart to be proven wrong about that. Come on Bob, prove me wrong once again. Beat this with the same gusto you used to beat those deadlines for 50 years.

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