Robert Novak Retires -- prognosis 'Dire'

[grantcart]

Source: Chicago Sun Times

Robert Novak has announced his immediate retirement following the diagnosis of a brain tumor, a prognosis the Sun-Times' political columnist describes as "dire."

"The details are being worked out with the doctors this week, but the tentative plan is for radiation and chemotherapy," Novak said.




Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/news/novak/1089872,novak080408.article

[Bob Dobbs]

1. Who knew spewing lies and hate could actually kill you?

Instant karma's gonna get you.

[michreject]

30. Er!!! Isn't one of our own going through the same thing

right now? How do you explain that?

I don't wish cancer on anyone.

[JeanGrey]

45. Not sure I even want to read down this thread. The glee

and grave dancing, I mean............

[elocs]

56. I know what you mean, it's kind of pathetic here.

With the responses the death of a Republican or a conservative gets here, that's the time I am most ashamed of DU. It's sad, just sad. One might think that Liberals are better than that, but I guess some are not.

[michreject]

57. I agree with you

But I would sure like a response to my question above.

[JeanGrey]

77. My answer is yes one of our is going through this and no

we shouldn't wish it on anyone.

[michreject]

81. I asked that question to post #1

I wanted them to reply. Sorry for any comfusion.

[JeanGrey]

87. Me too! I think we're in agreement.

[scarface2004]

105. why not?

he s a prick...good riddance!

[michreject]

106. You can take your hate away from me

I don't need it.

[LeftishBrit]

62. So you think Ted Kennedy, one of my good friends who died in her 40s leaving two young children, and

a little 2-year-old girl whom I knew as a child, all deserved their brain tumours?

It's like the Right talking about AIDS as 'God's punishment for sin'!

[Melinda]

69. Tell you what I think... I think DU has been infiltrated by RW trolls.

Liberals don't hate.

EOM.

[Regret My New Name]

122. That's a bit naive....

It's more a people problem in general.

[hlthe2b]

2. Once again, as they say in the South....

....crickets........................

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Wonder if he's filled that Rx for Tylenol 3?

Would certainly take care of someone's problem (again), now wouldn't it... :sarcasm:

[islandmkl]

4. i'm no doctor...and i didn't stay at a f***ing holiday inn last night...

but i have to ask:

How can Cheney need medical attention for his heart...and how can Novak have a brain anything?

[SpookyCat]

28. Oh snap! LOL! n/t

[pink-o]

31. Damn! It's the scarecrow and the tin man off to see the wizard! n/t

[rainbow4321]

78. Ahem.......

[yellowcanine]

5. Crap, does this mean we can't make fun of "NoFacts" anymore? I hate cancer.

[Renew Deal]

6. Shit

I hope he gets better quick. That sounds bad.

[hlthe2b]

8. I suspect it is too late except to hope he does some good

in his remaining days, and try to resolve some of the pain he has caused others-- so that he might earn some everlasting peace.

[frylock]

12. don't hold your breath..

see laura ingraham for reference.

[Va Lefty]

16. Lee Atwater had an epiphany towards the end

so there is hope for even the worst of them

[devilgrrl]

25. Tony Snow didn't have an epiphany - I doubt a grouchy prick like Novak will either

eom

[DainBramaged]

111. Tony Snow's FAMILY didn't deserve to lose him, put that into perspective

Most of the people in politics I've met don't take politics as seriously as most here do. It is their JOB, and like any other job, they do it to the best of their abilities. Just because they are on the other side of the political fence doesn't mean they deserve to die a horrible death because THEY choose to be on the opposite side of US here at DU.

Shame on all of you who wish ill on the dead or dying. You will have your turn in that roller coaster some time in the future, and I hope at that moment, you remember what you wrote here.

[Ian David]

22. Maybe he's an organ donor? n/t

[wordpix]

27. i doubt it and if he were one, who would want his crummy old parts?

nothing about him looks healthy

[Ian David]

29. He'd be an interesting addition to "The Body" exhibit that's in New York now. n/t

[Truth4Justice]

96. No one is going to harvest his old bones.

[grannie4peace]

7. thank you, thank you

i hope he sees himself in all his glory & sees all the damage he has done..

[Melinda]

70. Shame on you. People like you who come to DU and spout such hate shoudl be booted.

Shame. On. You.

[riverdale]

90. People who say don't make fun of evil sob's should be booted

I for one promise to keep hating on Novak all the way until he reaches the gates of hell, to paraphrase McCain

[Melinda]

102. Oh, you would paraphrase McCain. Take your hatred and your bullshit back home, bub.

I'm certain they miss you there.

[riverdale]

120. Sounds like you are a fan of hatred and bullshit yourself

Just not against Novak

[AspenRose]

9. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, I was taught.

eom.

[pattmarty]

10. Ya know, I really, really hate being this way, BUT, GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE!!

[CadenBlaker]

11. Aww

Just like Tony Snow, I can't simply dog this guy out. I don't like him, but I don't wish him dead. I hope he gets better and the tumor doesn't kill him. I imagine he'll be retired for good regardless.

[KittyWampus]

14. I hope he uses his remaining time on earth to undo some of the misery he's caused

[bunkerbuster1]

42. That'd be nice.

and maybe that's all I oughta say about this guy, for now.

[librechik]

13. I hope he gets a nice visit from the Ghost of Fitzmas Past

and becomes an enlightened and compassionate human being for the first time.

[closeupready]

36. That would help restore his name, yes.

n/t

[DainBramaged]

15. I've had TWO brain tumors, I would wish them on no one, even a Reich-winger

may his God have mercy on his soul.

[AspenRose]

23. Indeed.

.

[Hekate]

123. Amen, DB. This thread is too gleeful and creepy. nt

[Doctor_J]

17. I bet his medical bills won't cost him his house, like the little Americans

he hates so much. Hey Satan, got another neocon that's going to need a place to stay for eternity.

[Truth4Justice]

95. One medical system for the rich (total care) and one for the poor.......none!

[MannyGoldstein]

18. Oh God, What Have We Come To?

While stopping Novak's spew is a positive, this is not a way to that end that one should celebrate. Very, very sad stuff, my heart goes out to him.

[JeanGrey]

46. I am beginning to think we're becoming what we claim

to hate the most...................

[Snarkturian Clone]

112. Beginning? NT

[Melinda]

72. I don't think *we* have have become the thing we despise, but that DU has been infiltrated by trolls

spewing hatred. I don't even recognize this place anymore, but one thing I can see... the few who do hate are relatively new and/or have few posts, most containing inaccuracies and/or hate. It's as if Operation Chaos has descended upon DU.

[Jefferson23]

19. What happened to the man he hit with his car?

[bunkerbuster1]

43. Funny how that doesn't merit a mention in this story, huh?

[Truth4Justice]

97. The "little people" don't count. Besides, it must have been the man who hit his land-yacht?

:puke:

[bunkerbuster1]

107. Just for accuracy's sake...

I don't think a Corvette can be characterized as a "land yacht."

Call Novak what you like, but at least the man drove a somewhat normal car-like thing (although assholish 'Vette drivers are a whole weird subculture unto themselves...)

[Ian David]

20. "Dire" is a relative term. n/t

[johnfunk]

21. I wouldn't wish a brain tumor on anyone.

And that includes Novak. He is a charming, surprisingly nice guy in person - and very funny. And sure, I disagree with everything he stands for with the big exception of love of country, though I suspect we love it for differing reasons.

[Zuiderelle]

24. Instead of cheering this news like some assholes on this thread, I wish him spiritual enlightenment

and full recovery.

Man, people suck.

[madrchsod]

26. i wish no ill will for him...

what i will avoid is the media orgasm when he dies.

[1620rock]

33. We are all mortal, and we reap what we sow...nuff said.

[Plucketeer]

48. OH MAN!

I hadn't thought about that ass-spect! A week of eulogies and retrospectives. :puke:

[Warpy]

32. Translation: non operable

meaning it's not a nice, clean meningioma they can take out without disturbing adjacent structures.

Sometimes radiation, especially, can buy people enough time to tie up all their loose ends. Sometimes it doesn't.

It sounds like he's met the diagnosis head on and will use his remaining time wisely.

[DainBramaged]

51. Exactly, and anyone who thinks this is just reward for his 'sins'

is wrong. Teddy Kennedy is suffering from brain cancer, and he has devoted his life to Liberal causes, shouldn't we give Novak the same respect as he faces death we do Ted Kennedy?


I was lucky, all I have lost was the sight in one eye, but if a tumor returns, there is no more surgery for me. You can only tap into a human skull so many times before it says 'no mas'. Plus my age makes it extremely risky.

Do not wish Mr. Novak ill will. I am sure in the coming days, he will find his way.

[Warpy]

52. Ow, so you've been there

Glee over another's illness is totally unseemly because we're all going to get there someday, become so ill or injured that we will suffer and die. That is the universal human condition and there is no escape from it.

The question is how we live our lives before that happens. He has not lived his life well so far. One hopes that will change now that he can clearly see the end of it.

[DainBramaged]

76. Brain cancer is one of the most insidious and deadly forms of cancer

in 8 out of 10 cases, it is fatal, with pancreatic cancer (I think) being the only other cancer that has a worse survival rate (5%). The one thing about brain cancer (for the most part) it is painless, your brain has no pain receptors.


It just takes your spirit and conscious.

[bitchkitty]

91. It is not painless. n/t

[DainBramaged]

100. Wellllllll, having had two tumors removed I can tell you the pain is not from the brain

but from the sinus cavities and surrounding tissues, and the spinal column if affected.

I was there, and the best brain surgeons I know all said the same thing.

[bitchkitty]

115. My brother died from a brain tumor.

His pain was horrendous. I'm glad you recovered; he didn't.

[DainBramaged]

117. My heartfelt condolences. I wish I could have known him

but I am positive you gave him as much love and understanding as you could have under the circumstances. I am truly sorry for your loss.

[bitchkitty]

118. Actually, I was only 4 years old when he died.

He was 3, a year younger than me. Back then, there really were no effective treatments. I don't remember much, mostly he cried a lot and spent a lot of time at Walter Reed. My mother had a very hard time with it, as you might imagine - I don't think she ever recovered from that sadness. My dad sure didn't.

You know, I think that if we put 1/20th of the money into research that we put into war, we wouldn't even have this thread!

[Shine]

34. No matter what, I wish him all the best.

It's not fun having brain cancer. :( Best wishes to him and his family.

[closeupready]

35. Though I don't wish bad things on people, I do not like him, and

this news doesn't impact me emotionally at all. I'm sorry for those who DO love him, his family and friends, but ... well I'm just gonna leave it there.

[kestrel91316]

37. NO comment.

[ikojo]

38. I am of the opinion that if someone was a

jerk before he/she got sick, being diagnosed with an illness does not change that.

[cadaverdog]

39. Dear Mr. Novak

I wish you a speedy recovery, and a long happy life.
PS. Can I have your Corvette?

[bluesmail]

40. God_Dam_It there gos another witness.

I'm going to wear a :tinfoilhat: just in case somebody somewhere says something about what I wrote.:evilfrown:

[daggahead]

41. I wonder if ...

Joe Wilson & Valerie Plame will send flowers?

[anitar1]

44. There is only one sure thing about life.

Eventual death. With that in mind, I find it difficult to understand some of the posts I read when someone is diagnosed with a possibly terminal disease.Novak probably has a terminal disease. That does not make me shudder in horror for him. He will only be completing his life cycle.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

47. Didn't he spend a lot of time with a cell phone held up to his ear ? n/t

[dysfunctional press]

49. my condolences...BUT..we've got to start insisting on open-casket public cremations for cronies...

and co-conspirators of the cheney mis-administration.
that whole ken lay thing just left too many doubts in too many people's minds.

[katty]

50. Good riddens, Bob

[MonteLukast]

53. I wondered about the police from day one.

I wondered what Novak said to them to prevent a prosecution-- did her threaten their jobs? Did he threaten to sic the Bush admin justice on them? I kept wondering, how did a mere pundit-- not a politician, lobbyist, or lawyer-- have that much clout?

Now I think I know why. He said something like, "I'm dying of a brain tumor. Remember Ted Kennedy. You can't prosecute me." Sometimes, good old tugging at heartstrings works every time.

That being said, I'm glad Ted's prognosis is better than Novak's.

[L0oniX]

54. Another aspartame victim ...no doubt.

Aspartame is some bad shit ...causes brain cancer among other things ...like seizures.

[fascisthunter]

55. bye to rubbish

no, I don't give a fuck as I read about soldiers dying for a war he helped get them into.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Melinda]

71. You don't know what the fuck you are talking about. Novak OPPOSED the neocons war

No one died for a war he supported.

Plame -- another matter. Iraq war? You are just so very fucking wrong.

[democrat2thecore]

98. I had a post deleted for saying the same thing

I have rarely had posts deleted, so I don't even know how to complain. But all I said was that he opposed the first Gulf War and the Iraq invasion. Loudly. He's considered by David Frum as one of those anti-war conservatives that give the neocons grief. As you said, Melinda, Plamegate is a whole other deal, but especially when the guy is dying don't hang a war around him as he really did strongly oppose it.

[Melinda]

103. I saw your post after I had written mine, and I don't get it.

We said the exact same thing, and feel the exact same way. Go figure.
But - I appreciate that you said it, and I thank you for saying it first.

[cstanleytech]

125. Hmm maybe, except if you consider the fact that the war

might have been harder for Bush to start and perhaps even to continue for so long if Novak had not so willing aided the outing of Plame thus clouding the report on Saddam trying to supposedly purchase Yellowcake uraniam.
That aside I wont express public glee over it however much I dislike him.

[PatSeg]

58. When Novak hit that pedestrian

I actually believed him when he said he didn't see the man. Novak appeared rather confused and I had remarked to someone that I thought something was wrong with him. A day or two later, it was announced that he had a brain tumor.

This is just an observation, not a declaration of my approval or disapproval of Bob Novak as a journalist. I really don't see any purpose in bringing up things that are not pertinent to the story of his illness. If we were discussing Valarie Plame, then his journalistic integrity would be pertinent.

[democrat2thecore]

61. I thought EXACTLY the same thing

Watching that raw video of him being asked questions by the local TV news crew, I thought he's either really shaken up - or something is wrong with him. He seemed confused and listless and not certain as to what had happened. Just the fact he was talking about the accident was not Novak. Everyone knows you would keep your mouth shut in a situation like that and he was just talking away, but with a vacancy about him. Now we know why, and having a mother who died from a brain tumor, I wish the guy well. Like the poster above, it's not an approval of his journalism or anything else, it's just an awful way to go.

[PatSeg]

67. Same here

My mother died of a brain tumor as well. Having seen Novak being rude and dismissive of reporters in the past, I was surprised at how vulnerable and uncertain he was. For a moment I could feel the shock and horror of finding out that he had hit a man with his car and did not remember it. The Bob Novak in that particular moment I CAN feel empathy for.

The journalist Novak is a different story, but that shouldn't be relevant in this particular situation.

[MonteLukast]

73. Very interesting. I'll check that video out. (nm)

[MonteLukast]

74. We also asked "what's wrong with Bill Clinton"...

... and we found out that heart bypass surgery can cause brain damage via oxygen deprivation. There's even a slang term for it-- "pump head".

Why are you more likely to suffer brain damage during a heart operation than a brain operation? It would seem to be that both involve an oxygen shortage.

[PatSeg]

75. Yeah oxygen shortage could cause

brain damage. I hadn't thought of that, Bill Clinton was quite different after his operation. A lot of people are but it can also be attributed to a life-altering experience.

[D23MIURG23]

59. So far as I know the mass hasn't even been biopsied yet.

That would make the prognosis unknown.

[MonteLukast]

83. Wouldn't it be weird...

... if it were a glioma, the exact kind of tumor Ted Kennedy had. Gliomas are quite common so this could happen quite probably.

[D23MIURG23]

108. Stranger things have definitely happened.

Its really too bad about Kennedy; gliomas are horrible.

[Demobrat]

60. The man personally and deliberately ruined lives and careers.

And getting sick doesn't change that. I don't wish suffering on him but I can't say I'm sorry he's too ill to do any more damage to others.

[orleans]

64. good. retire. get out. bastard. n/t

[Virginia Dare]

65. He won't be missed....n/t

[democrat2thecore]

66. When Ted Kennedy was diagnosed.....

There were posts here on DU with links to freepers who were leaving, "Good Riddance" and "Mary Jo's Revenge" type messages and we all, everybody, to a "T" - wrote and thought about how sick and disgusting that was. I'm reading the same exact stuff here about Novak. This is sure a dysfunctional family.

[PatSeg]

68. We are in agreement again

If there were a thread that was just discussing Novak's career, I'd be among the first to be critical of him as a journalist, but a thread regarding brain tumors should be about the illness and the repercussions of that illness. I am grateful that the pedestrian did not die and that Novak probably won't be driving anymore. Seems he had an accident a few years back and maybe he shouldn't have been driving for some time.

Who knows, maybe bad things happen to people because of past behavior, but we have no way of knowing that for sure, and we DO know bad things happen to really good people. So I don't think it is healthy to tie the behavior to current maladies, as this could be very painful to people who have lost loved one to similar diseases.

A little common sense at such times wouldn't hurt.

[cobalt1999]

84. ANYONE rejoicing at someone getting cancer is scum.

I have no respect for their opinions on any topic afterwards.

You hypocrites know who you are.

[MonteLukast]

85. Exactly. Choose something besides cancer to mock.

There's McCain's GrouchyOldManItis, Romney's Terminal Panderosis, Rush Limbaugh not being able to "get any" without drugs...

I still remember the Randi Rhodes ep about that last one.

[Trajan]

89. Happens every time ...

The Uglies come out of the woodwork, swinging their steel toed boots ....

I despise Novak for what he has done .... but I wont pile on ....

[Imagevision]

79. Payback can be a bitch ... what goes around...?

[onenote]

109. did you send that message to Teddy when he got sick?

Some people....

[cyr330]

80. I'm not glad, per se

but I'm CERTAINLY not sad!!!!!

[JNelson6563]

82. I'm not sure what's worse

The nasty comments or the increasingly self-righteous comments. Absolutely love when posters post more than once with the self-righteous stuff. They really MEAN it. lol

Ol' No-Facts has been a miserable wretch and done much bad in his life. That said I don't wish this on him. Those who are tearin' up about Bob can take comfort in the fact that he has enough wealth to provide himself with every comfort known to humankind. Unlike the poor sod he mowed down with his car.

So here's another drama for the DramaQueens of DU and the media to revel in. Ugh. I think I'll tune it out.

Julie

[la la]

86. you know what this reminds me of?

back in my old home town, there were a bunch of old ladies who went to funerals and wailed at the coffins. They had no clue who the coffin-resident was---that was just what they did.

reminds me of people 'complimenting' the dead person, or in this case, someone expecting to pass on soon---of course, after he's dead, he was a good man--- lots of that going on around here.

if you don't like the comments here, don't be a hypocrite, because most of you have already stated you don't like the guy. okay, then---drop it, no excuse to nanny others into saying something good about someone they can't stand.

edited fer spelin!

[democrat2thecore]

99. Wrong again

Nobody is saying you should say something nice. At a time like this, you don't say "good riddance," "die fucking bastard," etc. Especially if you have any empathy at all. You don't need to feel sympathy, but where's the compassion? And we, as liberals, shouldn't withold compassion when someone else is hit with something like brain cancer. To me, that's just basic.

[gepetto41]

88. Cancer sucks

Novak may be a liar and a warmonger, but I don't wish cancer upon anyone. Let's hope he recovers.

[usregimechange]

92. Best of luck with your recovery

[Lisa0825]

93. My thoughts are with him and his family. nt

[Wabbajack_]

94. Brain cancer is horrible

so he's a winger. Wishing him pain and death is revolting.

[MetaTrope]

101. His retirement home has already been prepared

[Phredicles]

104. Say, what's the prognosis of the man he plowed into with his car?

That's who I'm worried about.

[Bill McBlueState]

110. Better bring out the outraged-about-grave-dancing brigade. n/t

[librechik]

113. .

can i get away with that?

[lonestarnot]

114. I can't talk about Novakula any more.

He wins. Bye Novakula! :hi:

[4_TN_TITANS]

116. What can you say? Karma's a bitch.. n/t

[Fovea]

119. The deep manifestation of a great darkness

of spirit.

I wish him a speedy and comfortable passing-
and I leave the three-fold law to the Gods.

But I know in my heart that he will be a star in Tartarus.

[SOS]

121. "Fighting a Brain Tumor Without Insurance"

Shelly Jones is an American citizen who is uninsured, untreated, ignored and has to raise money on the internet to even have a chance at treatment:

Fighting a Brain Tumor Without Insurance

For a year, Shelly Jones thought migraines or high blood pressure were to blame for her terrible headaches. Then, about a month ago, she found out it was something much worse.
Shelly Jones, 47, is married for the first time to a man she describes as the love of her life. She has an 18-year-old daughter and a son who's about to turn three. But Shelly also has something else -- a brain tumor that's causing her tremendous pain.

But what she doesn't have is insurance, and that's standing in the way of her treatment.
"I try to stay positive. There is a chance though, that I could die from this," she said.
...On June 21, Shelly went to the doctor with a terrible headache.
"That's when they found the brain tumor," said EJ Jones, Lincoln.
That's when the problems piled on. Shelly needs a surgery that costs roughly $162,000, and they have no insurance.

This cancer has blindsided the family so much they hardly know what to do.

A fundraiser has been set up to help with medical costs.
Donate to:
Shelly Jones Benefit Fund
TierOne Bank
5300 S 56th St.
Lincoln, Neb. 68516



http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/25464059.html

_____________________________________________________________

And here is Novak railing against expanded against Schip coverage as "Hillarycare" and "socialized medicine":

"Socialized Medicine's Front Door" by Robert Novak:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092602066.html

[TankLV]

124. should have happend YEARS sooner...FUCK the BASTARD!!!

I will shed no tears for that fucking asshole...