Bob Novak is losing his No Ethics Zone

Last December one of the regular contributors at The Washington Monthly did a rather decent overview of Bob Novak's professional life, and demonstrated how he has been able to effectively survive scandals that would have destroyed any other journalist/pundit. Indeed, it also explained why he appeared able to even dictate the terms by which he would not be questioned regarding his role in the outing of a covert operative, as well as why he was able to prevent his colleagues on both CrossFire and The Capitol Gang from raising the topic as well. I thought I would share this with my fellow Canadians who might not have been aware of this information. You can find the article here.

I raise this point in the wake of the walkoff on CNN's Strategy Session part of Inside Politics Thursday Aug 4 05. It appeared then and still to this moment as a tactical walkoff, because the host made clear at the end of the segment that he had been planning on asking Novak about the CIA leak investigation, but since he had left that was not possible. Now, that was an unusual statement for the host to have made given previous diligent efforts to protect Novak from any questions regarding that matter at CNN. Indeed, over the last few weeks he has been receiving more direct and pointed comments and questions from his colleagues than he ever has previously, and it seems to be getting to him. He has also lost his two main TV venues to push his agenda and message, Crossfire and Capitol Gang. I suspect he is becoming increasingly fearful of this time of actually facing consequences for his actions in the Plame outing, unlike any of his previous scandals, including the use of a Soviet spy to trash Janet Reno with back in the 90s. There is also this to consider. If he is not in jail for contempt, it can only mean he has testified in front of Fitzgerald's grand jury, yet no one has a clue as to what his testimony is. He claims he is under legal restrictions from talking about it, but unless he is a focus/target for criminal charges from this grand jury that holds no water. Else Matthew Cooper would not have been able to report on his testimony as he did in Time magazine the other week. So I am wondering if he is afraid of being charged and hung out to dry for this one the one hand, and is terrified of the retribution he may suffer from the Right in America if he is seen as betraying the Bush Administration and the GOP hold on power in America. Without his sources in the GOP in America this man has nothing to bring to the table, so the loss of such access would be the kiss of death for his career, or rather what remains of it to this point

Either way though he is apparently starting to really feel the pressures of the matter, and for that I am pleased. It has long irritated me that this man has managed for so long as a rumour monger and gossip, yet passed himself off as a journalist to enhance credibility yet then claims he is but a lowly pundit when someone tries to hold him accountable for the damage resulting from his use of incorrect and indeed slanderous material. He has managed to defer his just rewards for many years, and now it appears they are finally catching up with him and forcing him out of his self designed and contained No Ethics Zone.