During a debate with James Carville on “Inside Politics” today, Novak suddenly stood up and swore and walked off the set.
CNN has suspended Novak indefinitely.
Was Carville’s comment really that bad? It sounds like Carville was subtly snarking about Novak’s need to “show some backbone” to right-wingers as a cryptic reference to the widely held belief that Novak sang like Sinatra in the Plame investigation. That’s a sharp dig, certainly, and the truth hurts, but was it really what drove Novak off the set?
More from the Washington Post story:
Novak knew those questions were coming and I’m betting that he took advantage of a Carville shot in order to contrive a moral high horse which he could ride away from the set and from the confrontation taht really scared him. I’m betting he knew he’d get suspended and thus have even more excuse to avoid answering the question about his American Idol audition for federal investigators. I’m guessing that he’s hoping that James Carville is sufficiently reviled by the right that he might win some sort of default sympathy from conservatives and that they won’t notice that he exited right before the tough questions.
Or maybe he’s just cracking?
What does everyone else think?
('lucy. I KNOW you’ve got a take on this. I can’t wait to hear it)
It was an odd moment; it reminded me of when Bill O’Reilly freaked out at the end of his interview with Terry Gross, as if he knew he was planning to get indignant and cut her off but never really got a good chance so he just did it almost randomly. It was the same thing with Novak–Carville was ribbing him a little, but not enough to merit that, especially from a seasoned reporter and pundit like Novak. My guess is that he had been looking for a chance to get mad and storm out before the Plame questions, but the chance never came, so he just did it.
Maybe the thin silver lining to the black cloud of the Plame/Wilson matter is that Novak won’t have a career anymore.
I thought the exchange with Carville was pretty mild – standard-issue CNN crosstalk. Novak’s reaction at first also seemed unremarkable – other than the word “bullshit” – until he walked off. He wasn’t visibly freaking out that I could see, just the usual sour look on his face.
I don’t buy “he was scared to be questioned about Plame”. Nuts. Novak can dissemble in his sleep. And has for years on this topic.
If there’s a subtext to his walk-out, I don’t know what it is. It’s not Carville’s badgering. It could be Plame, but it seems unlikely unless Fitzgerald is getting close to Bob’s sock-drawer in ways we don’t know about.
I think he just needs to switch to decaff.
On Preview: DoctorJ: “won’t have a career” ? He’s a syndicated columnist, among other things. (Also an uncataloged form of lichen, among other talents.) Unless indicted, Novak will be slithering in print and video for many years, after CNN’s holding period wears off.
Didn’t seem staged to me. Seemed to me like he was going to take it, then changed his mind as an afterthought. Also I’ve watched Novak for a lot of years and he is definitely easily offended. Plus i’m sure he hates Carville.
snerk There are liberals who hate Carville. The man can make a dog’s hackles rise in the next county (or parish, if he’s visitin’ family). But yeah, that was definitely gentle ribbing compared to what Carville can (and has) come out with.
They showed this on The Daily Show tonight. I must admit, i’m not a big fan of Carville either, but it was fun to see Novak get his knickers in such a twist.
I didn’t see the actual incident, although I heard about it on several cable news shows. My take is that there is sooooooo much history between these two guys that you can’t look at this as an isolated incedent. Maybe Novak just snapped after having gone at it over and over and over with Carvel. Anyway, they’re just two talking heads. BFD. They probably met for cocktails afterwards and talked about how this would help both their ratings.
It was even more fun seeing Jon Stewart eating it up!
I’ve never liked Novak from his mid-80s Crossfire days (I think Pat Buchanan was the original Crossfire Righty with Tom Braden on the Left- and then Bob Novak & Bob Dornan taking his seat when he went into the Reagan Administration). Buchanan & Dornan may have been nutty at times but they were also fun. I’d enjoy a beer with them even if I were a Lefty. Novak’s always been the stereotypical dour old conservative that gives us a bad name.
He was so mentally drained by the process of going from a “respective partisan commentator” to an “embarassing part of the big story.”
I think his frustrations got the better of him when Carville took a cheap shot (though probably accurate) and Novak accidentally dropped the swear word.
Carville, used to profanity, didn’t seem to notice the slip (I’m sure it is part of his vocabulary)and kept talking as if things were normal (it must be hard to be passionate in a debate and NOT accidentally drop a swear word).
Novak, meanwhile, has the following internal monologue:
"I just said Bullshit on the air. I am SO fired. To make matters worse, this nancy boy is about to ask me about Plame. Well. If I am going to be fired anyway… FUCK THIS SHIT! I am outta here."
