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**Blahhhshsh** · 08-18-2009, 10:37 PM

Political columnist Robert Novak, self-proclaimed 'Prince of Darkness,' dies from brain cancer at 78

BY Helen Kennedy
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Tuesday, August 18th 2009, 2:00 PM

Wong/Getty
Columnist Robert Novak of Chicago Sun-Times during a taping of NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

Griffin/AP
Novak is pictured in 1958 working the phones for the Associated Press in the Senate Press Gallery on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Political columnist Robert Novak, the conservative reporter and TV commentator who relished his nickname as "the Prince of Darkness," died Tuesday of a brain tumor. He was 78.
Novak was an influential figure in Washington for nearly 50 years, writing a must-read Chicago Sun-Times column and appearing on TV's "The Capital Gang", "Crossfire," and "Evans, Novak, Hunt, & Shields."
He titled his 2007 autobiography "The Prince of Darkness" after the nickname he picked up for his often gloomy demeanor.

"No stirrer-up of strife is ever very popular," he said in the book.
He especially loved, he wrote gleefully, "making life miserable for hypocritical, posturing politicians."
"He loved journalism, he loved his country and his family," his wife of 47 years, Geraldine Novak, told the Associated Press.
Unusual among Washington pundits, Novak always remained a tenacious reporter, schmoozing the powerful and breaking countless political scoops over the years.

"He was a Washington institution who could turn an idea into the most discussed story around kitchen tables, congressional offices, the White House, and everywhere in between," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in a tribute.
Most recently, Novak was best known for his 2003 column publicly identifying CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose diplomat husband was criticizing the Bush White House.

The column led to a federal investigation into the leak and the perjury conviction of top White House aide Scooter Libby.
"I have written many, many more important columns, but the one on the CIA leak case will forever be part of my public identity," he mourned in his memoir.

Born in Joliet, Illinois, Novak served as an Army lieutenant in the Korean War and became a political correspondent for the Associated Press after the war.
He went to Washington in 1957 and never left, soon becoming a fixture.
In 1963, he teamed up with the late Rowland Evans to write a daily newspaper column. The column continued after Evans retired in 1993.
Novak's brain tumor was diagnosed in July 2008 after he ran down a homeless man on the street and drove away, unaware there had been accident.

He published his last Evans-Novak Political Report newsletter in February.
Besides his wife, Novak is survived by two children and eight grandchildren.
Born Jewish, he spent most of his life without religion before converting to Catholicism in 1998.

08-18-2009, 10:37 PM	#1
Blahhhshsh Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 440 Senior Member	Robert Novak: Dead at 78 Political columnist Robert Novak, self-proclaimed 'Prince of Darkness,' dies from brain cancer at 78 BY Helen Kennedy DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Updated Tuesday, August 18th 2009, 2:00 PM Wong/Getty Columnist Robert Novak of Chicago Sun-Times during a taping of NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Griffin/AP Novak is pictured in 1958 working the phones for the Associated Press in the Senate Press Gallery on Capitol Hill in Washington. Political columnist Robert Novak, the conservative reporter and TV commentator who relished his nickname as "the Prince of Darkness," died Tuesday of a brain tumor. He was 78. Novak was an influential figure in Washington for nearly 50 years, writing a must-read Chicago Sun-Times column and appearing on TV's "The Capital Gang", "Crossfire," and "Evans, Novak, Hunt, & Shields." He titled his 2007 autobiography "The Prince of Darkness" after the nickname he picked up for his often gloomy demeanor. "No stirrer-up of strife is ever very popular," he said in the book. He especially loved, he wrote gleefully, "making life miserable for hypocritical, posturing politicians." "He loved journalism, he loved his country and his family," his wife of 47 years, Geraldine Novak, told the Associated Press. Unusual among Washington pundits, Novak always remained a tenacious reporter, schmoozing the powerful and breaking countless political scoops over the years. "He was a Washington institution who could turn an idea into the most discussed story around kitchen tables, congressional offices, the White House, and everywhere in between," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in a tribute. Most recently, Novak was best known for his 2003 column publicly identifying CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose diplomat husband was criticizing the Bush White House. The column led to a federal investigation into the leak and the perjury conviction of top White House aide Scooter Libby. "I have written many, many more important columns, but the one on the CIA leak case will forever be part of my public identity," he mourned in his memoir. Born in Joliet, Illinois, Novak served as an Army lieutenant in the Korean War and became a political correspondent for the Associated Press after the war. He went to Washington in 1957 and never left, soon becoming a fixture. In 1963, he teamed up with the late Rowland Evans to write a daily newspaper column. The column continued after Evans retired in 1993. Novak's brain tumor was diagnosed in July 2008 after he ran down a homeless man on the street and drove away, unaware there had been accident. He published his last Evans-Novak Political Report newsletter in February. Besides his wife, Novak is survived by two children and eight grandchildren. Born Jewish, he spent most of his life without religion before converting to Catholicism in 1998.
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