Snookered? Novak says the McCain camp may have duped him

After touching off hot speculation that John McCain was going to rain on Barack Obama’s parade of favorable news coverage by disclosing his VP choice this week, conservative columnist Robert Novak now says he may have gotten snookered.

"I got a suggestion from a very senior McCain aide late yesterday afternoon that he was going to announce it this week,'' Novak told Fox News Tuesday. "They didn't want it to come out the way it was going to come out, and they suggested I put it out.

"I then called another senior person who said, 'I can't talk about that, but wouldn't this be a terrific week to announce it, that is with Obama getting the headlines?' So I just put something on the Internet."

"I've since have been told by certain people that this was a dodge, they were trying to get a little publicity to rain on Obama's campaign,'' Novak told Fox. "That's pretty reprehensible if it's true, but we'll find out in a few days. "

Novak has been the vessel through which Republicans have leaked news that has proven controversial before.

Last week, Novak reported that McCain and Phil Gramm had patched up their differences after the former Texas senator caused a dust-up by calling America a "nation of whiners." Novak wrote that Gramm was returning to the McCain campaign but, amid the controversy that followed the disclosure, Gramm quit as a campaign co-chair.

But Novak kicked off a much bigger firestorm with his July 2003, column disclosing the identity of CIA covert operative Valerie Plame-Wilson. Maybe that was "pretty reprehensible" too?

-– Stuart Silverstein

Comments

[that1guy]

So Novak's a tool, in every sense; not news.

[No new news]

McLiar fools an unpatriotic leaking tool of the right.

[jean-luc]

What a shame,doing that to such a reliable and fine person like Novak the" scumbback"

[Josephine Baker]

So what? Novak said what he said, McCain got some
free publicity, and all's well. Novak is not a conduit of
"news" and never has been. If he were, he would have
a fact checker and an editor. Since his job is disseminating
propaganda, he should be happy that he got the job
done in this case.

[joli]

I thought he was playing with the big boys. Guess not.

[martin]

why didn't he get prosecuted for outing Valerie Plame? He's the one who actually made it public.
If a Democratic administration had done this, he would still be flapping his hypocritical jaws.

[Say Whaaaaat?]

Is this "news" of any interest to anyone except Novak? No, what a waste of type.

[rollingmyeyes]

Typical spin from McCains campaign. When will they learn that we the voters in 08 need to know how they intend to run our country differently? I for one have seen McCain at his supposed best in these town hall sessions answering questions and he is terrible. He doesn't answer the questions he just keeps attacking Obama. I'm trying to remain impartial but it appears as if McCains experience factor is worthless at this point. Obama is light years ahead of McCain in defining exactly where the US needs to be and how we are going to get there.

[mangoman]

What's reprehensible is that Novak and the rest of the of them haven't been locked upfor treason,

if the white house says she's fair game then its OK

Give me a break, there has to be a question of accountability.

and Novak has non for his actions.

If any ordinary person on the street divulged a CIA's identity for gain they would be spending their life in prison.

[Publuis]

If all you do is argue about the two puppets, you never learn who is pulling their strings...

[that1guy]

Yeah, considering the whole Plame thing, this clown has the gall to pretend that he's been surprised & used by the right wing? His whole Pollyanna shtick is wearing just a bit thin...

[Fredrick]

Looks like this Novak guy is a couple of kerfs short of a full Linotype . . .

[Tom in California]

McCain: Go ahead and announce it whenever you feel like it. It won't make any difference. No matter who it is and when you announce it, you're still going down in flames in November.

[CA Person]

Obama is light years ahead of defining where this country needs to be and how to get there? Why travel light years when all you have to do is hop across some water? Go to Cuba, Russia, China or any other socialist republic to see what ideas for "change" Obama has supported and the clear direction he wants America to take.

All hail Obama comrades. The great uniter.

[C. Nelson]

Pretty reprehensible? How so? Sounds like good campaign management to me, something that has lately been too scarce in the McCain campaign.

[Jersey Bob]

Causing serious harm to our safety by exposing an undercover CIA agent who was working on counter-terrorism, Novack assisted Dick Cheney in perpetrating one of the worst acts of treason in American history.

Why are they both allowed to remain free? They should be cell mates at Leavenworth for the remainder of their miserable days.

[johnk348]

bwahahaha, novak got suckered.

[PulSamsara]

Novak committed treason.

We won't forget.

[artistkvip]

you mean kind of like novak snookered valarie plame? say it ait so ..joe have yew no shameE lol lol

[John Paul Telhomme]

Bob Novak, the man who revealed (with the help of right wing GOP operatives) the identity of CIA operative, Valerie Plame. Bob Novak is also the man who on Fox News proclaimed that a video of Michelle Obama was going to be released soon and that GOP researchers were "collecting a wealth of information about her in Chicago. She can't keep her mouth shut for a minute." Bob Novak has been involved through his career in GOP dirty tricks. If he had checked or cared to check, he would have discovered that McCain was about to name his veep seemed unlikely. For one, Cindy McCain is in Africa this week, unavailable for the obligatory photos of the candidates and their spouses, and one of the top contenders for the job, Mitt Romney, is also on vacation overseas. For another, all three network anchors are with Obama all week; at best, an announcement would provide a brief distraction from Obama's message, not obliterate it. He can't cry that he was used. He has used the political establishment to further a career which lack of talent and skill could not.

[TheOldHand]

The word "stooge" comes to mind, as in "shill".

[Whys]

Dog bites you once, shame on the dog. Dog bites you twice...

[Betty Blotter]

Is it possible to run a country by referendum?

[Marc from San Diego]

Novak needs to retire - even his Republican friends are now playing him (again) for the fool. So sad to see this once respected man be used by them - but they do it best. How about Cheney for VP - he never flip-flops (so?) and he has a clear vision of what he wants for this country - see - we got it!!!

[Bob]

Novak was a total tool in the Plame case. What's so different this time around? The guy should be behind bars with the rest of them.

[ArthurW from VA]

Yah Think? This one was obvious from t he start. After Obama sunk the three point shot the McCain camp came down with green envy. The choice was between more ridiculous statements like Obama somehow has caused the high gas prices (and lets throw in Global Warming while we are at it) and a head fake toward a VP announcement. Why the press took the baite here is a puzzle, unless they felt 'bad' for McCain being left out of the headlines...

[hesingswithfrogs]

Novak calling anything "reprehensible" is like the pot calling the kettle black. But you gotta feel for Novak ... poor little troll got his ego hurt.

[ISAIAH]

Novack is a propagandists period.He is a tool of the "POWERS THAT BE".Once again he did his job exactly as ordered.OBAMA"s trip was going much too good,and the status quo crowd had to try and dampen it some how,alas,the VP thing for McCAIN.I guess it is just some more of that (faulty intelligence) crap.I see a definite pattern here from the so-called establisment.

[John Quimby]

McCain told us Obama should go to Iraq. Now his campaign is upset because he did and actually had something intelligent to say about it?

Poor John.

The world is responding favorably to Obama and that's bad news?

Poor John.

I guess foreign relations isn't Senator McCain's strength after all.

[Zyskandar A Jaimot]

to PAUL TELHOMME and other DEMBHOLE WHINERS - A) It was fat-drug/alcohol dependent DEMBHOLE BOB BECKEL who 'broke' the news about MICHELLE OBAMA B) NOVAK is part of the NATIONAL ^SSHOLE MEDIA who would not have a 'sentient thought' even if they did not drink the kool-aid spooned-up to placate 'the masses' C) Also Mr. TELHOMME or is that 'ET-PLEASE- CALL- HOME' cause you certainly are out there if you think LAME PLAME or whatever her 'secret' name was - was outed by anyone other than her, and her putz of a husband JOE'alcohol-drug-addicted'WILSON; when he placed their bios in WHO'S WHO listing her as a 'secret agent' - some secret huh??? Ha - Ha - Ha. ARE ALL DEMBHOLES LIKE YOUSE SO STOOPID OR DOES YOU CREATE FANTASIES FOR THE X-FILES??? Ha.

[Mike Flagg]

I looked up "reprehensible"

Beside it was a picture of Novak, and one of Gramm as well

[Hugh Jass]

Novak's best moment came when his upper dental plate pooped out during Crossfire in 1985. he's been a right wing weasel for decades and his late partner Rowland Evans was as big of a shmuck!

[online radio addict]

Let me just say YES WE CAN