In case you haven’t heard, Bob Novak uttered a profanity during Thursday’s edition of CNN’s Crossfire and promptly walked off the set. The AP reports here, but see also my commentary at The Reaction. It’s not as amusing as Jon Stewart’s notorious “dick” appearance on the show last year, but this brief glimpse into Novak’s state of mind is fascinating nonetheless. Isn’t it about time we found out his role in the Plame Game?
UPDATE: Crooks And Liars has a GREAT roundup plus links to videos of the event.
The Political Teen has a great video too…
UPDATE II: (by TMV) Novak has apologized but in media terms the damage is really done and the question is whether his role at CNN will remain the same and how many months this will shave off the end of his CNN career. He’s now becoming controversial in several ways for CNN and we bet he’ll be off the network within 18 months:
Robert Novak apologized Friday for swearing on the air and walking off a CNN set, but said it had nothing to do with the federal probe sparked by his revelation of a CIA officer’s name in a 2003 column.
“I apologize for my conduct and I’m sorry I did it,” he said in an interview.
CNN has pulled him off the air indefinitely. Novak said “I’ll follow their guidance” on when he returns….
A CNN spokeswoman, Edie Emery, called Novak’s behavior “inexcusable and unacceptable.” She said “we’ve asked Mr. Novak to take some time off,” she said.
Only two weeks ago, CNN executives defended their decision to keep Novak on the air during the investigation into the leak. Novak identified Plame in July 2003 as the wife of Bush administration critic and former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson.
What could happen is that Novak could be invited back. But this incident won’t enhance his stature.
Remember Dan Rather walking off the set at CBS? It was the point of no return in his career. It was downhill from there…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.