# I Pit Bob Novak for being a hit-and-run driver **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 24, 2008, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572 "2008-07-24T01:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/21 "2008-07-24T16:41:34Z")
Novakula must be a pun on the guy’s decades-old nickname - “The Prince of Darkness.” Prince of Darkness, old jerk on the road… same thing, right? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/22 "2008-07-24T16:45:20Z")
Someone at Wikipedia has a sense of humor, then. Kind of like when you google TicketBastard or Nutlix… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/23 "2008-07-24T16:52:40Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] [One look at this guy](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Robert_Novak_IUB_img_1622.jpg) and you know everything you need to know. Look at that evil sneer. And the fiendishly long, curly white eyebrow-hairs. [/QUOTE] And that combover! Who does he think he’s fooling, besides himself? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/24 "2008-07-24T17:18:59Z")
From Andrew Sullivan: > [@Robert Novak](#): > > “I really hate jaywalkers. I despise them. Since I don’t run the country, all I can do is yell at 'em. The other option is to run 'em over, but as a compassionate conservative, I would never do that,” _The Washington Post_, 2001. Jon Stewart went to town on Novak (aka= Douchebag of Liberty) last night, too. ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/25 "2008-07-24T17:28:46Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] I have no idea whom Novak might be [/QUOTE] You mustn’t have any idea how to use “whom” either, asshole. OK, I don’t really think you’re an asshole. That just really annoys me, and it’s the pit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/26 "2008-07-24T17:54:01Z")
[QUOTE=Caffeine.addict] I bet this kind of accident happens quite a bit in DC. DC has a bad combination of aggressive drivers and aggressive pedestrians. Drivers often run lights and pedestrians often jaywalk. In DC, to make a turn, you often have to turn against oncoming traffic when pedestrians have the right of way. With the volume of traffic and pedestrians that that particular part of town has, driving is a giant pain especially when people are trying to get to work. [/QUOTE] Indeed, not all drivers hitting pedestrians are in the wrong. But I suspect not many of those who do use the pedestrians as hood ornaments. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/27 "2008-07-24T20:26:09Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] Indeed, not all drivers hitting pedestrians are in the wrong. [/QUOTE] Rememebr though, too, that this case appears to be not just “hit” but “hit and run.” And, if true and done knowingly, the running is inexcusable. I’m sure we’ll learn more in the days to come. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/28 "2008-07-24T20:38:22Z")
This is a small and unimportant person slowing down the progress of an important man. He should be forced to pay damages and apologize. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/29 "2008-07-24T21:19:23Z")
[QUOTE=vibrotronica] Where’s **your** vitrol? Right wingers like you have been making hay out of Drunk Uncle Teddy since time immemorial. Now’s your chance to prove you’re not a hypocrite. [/QUOTE] 1. He admitted his mistake 2. He didn’t kill anyone 3. He hit a lawyer-there’s plenty of them around ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/30 "2008-07-24T21:22:59Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] 2) He didn’t kill anyone [/QUOTE] Did he stop, and check to see that he didn’t kill anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/31 "2008-07-24T21:26:27Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] 3) He hit a lawyer-there’s plenty of them around [/QUOTE] No – a lawyer on a bike stopped him driving off. The person hit was apparently a homeless guy. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/32 "2008-07-24T23:36:46Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] 1. He admitted his mistake [/quote] So what? I’m not a vengeful guy, but he admitted his mistake only after he got caught. That doesn’t count for much. I let him off the hook mentally myself until I heard the guy got flipped up onto his hood, which would throw out the whole “I didn’t realize” thing. > [@](#): > > 1. He didn’t kill anyone Through no fault of his own. > [@](#): > > 1. He hit a lawyer-there’s plenty of them around Already dismissed because it’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/33 "2008-07-24T23:57:11Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] Already dismissed because it’s wrong. [/QUOTE] In more ways than one. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/34 "2008-07-25T00:00:39Z")
[QUOTE=mshar253] You mustn’t have any idea how to use “whom” either, asshole. OK, I don’t really think you’re an asshole. That just really annoys me, and it’s the pit. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Shouldn’t that read, " its the pit" ?? 😃 😃 😃 I do understand that some intersections are inherently more dangerous than others. I get that. We all do. ( Well. Those of us who drive in urban areas do.) It’s also fair to say that _some_ hit and runs are legitimate. A light sideswipe, unawares, someone runs after you, etc. If the physical evidence supports the eyewitness and the victim rolled UP the hood and over the windshield, doesn’t it say something about the drivers’ ( driver’s ?? ) cognitive skills that he missed that ?? Then again, it _is_ Novak. Had the pedestrian’s body pierced the windshield, he very likely would have tried to sue the dead pedestrian’s family for bloodstains on the seat fabric. Arrogance isn’t a crime. Leaving an obvious hit and run is. Prosecute him. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/35 "2008-07-25T00:03:24Z")
This is such bullshit. Novak said he didn’t know he hit the guy! What more do you want? Hey, I know. If you’re driving one of those low-slung cars it can be tough to tell if the guy actually makes contact. A lot of times when you take out a biker, they’ll go clean over the top of the car without even touching. A lot of times in an SUV they’ll go right under the front fenders. As long as you keep the car centered they’ll clear the tires. No contact. No accident. No hit and run. Case closed. End of story. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/36 "2008-07-25T01:54:12Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] Now, now. **elucidator** may be a bit overripe, but “rotten”? [/QUOTE] You haven’t read many of his jokes, have you? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/37 "2008-07-25T03:49:21Z")
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse] Shouldn’t that read, " its the pit" ?? 😃 😃 😃 [/QUOTE] Nope, “it’s” is the contraction of it is, and “its” is the possessive of “it.” I might suspect a whoosh, if not for the overconfident triple grinning smilie. Here’s a tip, if you are going to be pedantic on this board, you’d better be good. And that was fourth-grade stuff, maybe eighth-grade if you went to public school. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/38 "2008-07-25T06:10:43Z")
The 86 year old pedestrian [suffered a dislocated shoulder](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/24/AR2008072402099.html?hpid=moreheadlines) but is doing fine in recovery. > [@Don Clifford Liljenquist](#): > > “Bob Novak is the one that hit me?.. Well, everybody knows who Bob Novak is! He’s a famous journalist! . . . I was struck by Bob Novak? . . . Well, I think that makes it a great story!” Liljenquist thinks it’s possible that Novak didn’t see him, but believes that the columnist was not paying attention to his driving. Luckily, Mr. Liljenquist had some relevant training: > [@](#): > > The doctors reset my shoulder. I’m doing fine. . . . I’m a pretty tough guy, you know. And when I saw I was being hit, I rolled with the punch. I used my training in judo to roll with the punch. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/39 "2008-07-25T13:30:00Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Ted Kennedy only paid a $35.00 fine (for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident); course, a woman died, but heck, that’s what the judge found. [/QUOTE] Ooh, let’s play the _gotcha_ game. Here, I’ll go: Where’s the vitriol? Laura Bush wasn’t even questioned before being driven home to mommy and daddy by the police, and a young man died. And heck, there was no judge involved, because Laura was a nice, young, white woman. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572/40 "2008-07-25T14:12:15Z")
Hey, **Argent Towers** , could you cite a source for that cockfighting quote? Not that I doubt you, I’d like to see the rest of that article. Sailboat [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bob-novak-for-being-a-hit-and-run-driver/457572.md?page=3)