When I was still new to The American Spectator, I put
together a conference of the magazine's young writers. Bob Novak
graciously agreed to be the keynote speaker. It was my first
foray into anything like event planning, so of course it went
anything but smoothly. Attendance was sparser than anticipated
and many people were late, making the event look a bit small for
its venue.
Novak wasn't bothered by any of this. He still spoke like he was
addressing a crowd of 500 people, telling old stories and giving
advice. Novak stayed at the podium after the speech to take
questions, which even the other panelists were eager to ask. When
it came time to move to the next part of the program, Novak
insisted on taking one more question. "Let's let one of the young
writers get in one more question," he said.
Remembering his old boss, my friend Tim Carney recounts
that Novak's position on the Iraq war was a source of
consternation to many conservatives. But to other conservatives,
it was a source of inspiration. A real reporter and a real
conservative, Robert Novak was one of a kind. R.I.P.
