Not even a 66-year-old pedestrian:
Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning.
***
“I didn’t know I hit him. I feel terrible,†a shaken Novak told reporters from Politico and WJLA as he was returning to his car.
That’s not how the bicyclist who stopped Novak from driving away sees it:
In an interview, the bicyclist told ABC 7’s Suzanne Kennedy the pedestrian was splayed across Novak’s windshield, and there was no way that Novak could not have known he struck someone.
Seems like someone might want to get those eyes checked. It is a sad story, not only for the victim (who was treated at George Washington University Hospital for minor injuries), but also for Novak, who — for all of his rep as the “Prince of Darkness” and quips about running over pedestrians — is said to be one of the few Beltway pundits who is popular and well-liked in DC newsrooms.
(h/t Memeorandum.)
Update: Ace-a-lanche!
Update x2: HotAir-lanche!
Update x3: Novak was apparently engrossed in NPR’s “Morning Edition” at the time. He won’t fight the ticket, adding, “I assume witnesses are telling the truth.” Matthew Yglesias calls Novak a criminal sociopath, seemingly implies a need for car control laws. First commenter Mark Adams asks, “Is this some kind of tune up for the type of absurd arguments you will be expected to make once you start at the Center for American Progress?”
Near-Greenwaldian Update x4: Dan Collins is updating in a new post.
Update x5: Insta-lanche!
– How the hell do you go about getting “splayed across a corvette windshield”, with only minor injuries. I’d hold off on this one, it smacks of rigged accident.
BBH,
You’ll enjoy learning that the bicyclist is also a lawyer. OTOH, in morning traffic in that part of DC, I could see Novak not going as fast as he normally would, either, which would allow for splaying.
His insurance is gonna go up now I bet.
Should have run down the lawyer on the bike–sounds like a classic lefty–and done the world a favor.
Surely at 18th and ‘K’ streets there’s got to be a video camera set up somewhere that recorded the incident. If so, we should see the incident turn up on YouTube and TV news shows within the next day or two.
A lawyer on a bike in DC splaying on a ‘vette. Is he also an environmentalist?
And the witness was also a bicyclist? Definitely an environmentalist set-up to protest a gas guzzling sports car. They probably also figured that anyone driving a Corvette could afford a hefty pay-off.
You would not believe how common it is for bicyclists and pedestrians to be involved in motor vehicle accidents this time of year, especially in cities.
[…] Karl@Protein Wisdom titles his post “Bob Novak yields to no one” and writes, “Seems like someone might want to get those eyes checked. It is a sad story, not only for the victim (who was treated at George Washington University Hospital for minor injuries), but also for Novak, who  for all of his rep as the “Prince of Darkness†and quips about running over pedestrians  is said to be one of the few Beltway pundits who is popular and well-liked in DC newsrooms.” […]
“Outta the way, pops! I got journalism to do!”
NancyGee, try actually, you know, like reading the article or even for that matter the summary. Novak struck a pedestrian not a cyclist.
– Speaking of getting hit with a truck, doesn’t our beloved Obamessiah sound just so much like a young G. ChimpyMcBusHalliburton as he talks all NeoCon and war mongering like in Jerusalem today.
– Its protect Israel security this , and nasty Katuska rockets that, and outlaw terrorist groups like Hezbolla something else, with the very idea of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons simply unthinkable, and must be stopped at any cost.
– I guess he wants to see a divided Jerusalem, undivided, but equally divided between the Palestinians and Israeli’s, but united as the undivided capital of Jerusalemlistine, or was that Palesruselam. (Say what?)
– Isn’t all of this just precious? At what point does the mentally challenged Nutroots go nuclear themselves over all this world stage truthiness, delivered with such deep sincerity by the “Great Sgt. O! Chili Peppers looney Left band and traveling medicine show” candidate?
I think NancyGee probably came in from AoSHQ, where Ace links here claiming Novak hit a dude on a bike.
Bob Novak got his defense from the former Catholic Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. O’Brien. Didn’t work for him either…
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9901EFDA1239F932A15752C0A9629C8B63
Ah, Karl, seen. Ace just corrected his post too.
A lawyer, huh? What are the odds in DC?
“Should have run down the lawyer on the bike–sounds like a classic lefty–and done the world a favor.”
Uh… do conservatives not practice law or ride bicycles?
Barrett,
The question really is how many conservatives do both in DC. ;-)
– The “splayed across the windshield” bit sounds like the old guy was shuffling along from between parked cars, and walked into the side of Novak slowly moving car. That sort of thing happens a lot, and the driver is seldom held responsible.
– The other day I was walking to the store and an old dude with a cane, (I’m an old dude, but no cane), passed me in the usual toatl stypor of meds at abot one shuffle a minute, stopping and looking dazed and unsure. I passed him but stopped to watch him, and sure enough he moved slowly down to the coerner and stepped off the curb a few feet out into on-coming traffic, at a right turn point where drivers do a slight California “hesitation” and then blast on around onto the blvd. I ran back and got him up on the curb, and then crossed him over to the other side. Thas blvd. is just that. One of those divided 2 and a half lanes on each side with a center divider with traffic buzzing along at 50 and 60 miles an hour at times. I walked him to the bus stop where he was headed and then crossed back over, hoping he wouldn’t get back in the street. He was still there when I got back, so I helped him get on the bus when it showed up. There was a few moments of looking for his bus pass, but I finally located it in his shirt pocket, and he was on his way. I’m assuming someone helped him when he got to his destination.
– The city is a dangerous place for the old and infirm.
Sounds like a lot of lefty propaganda to me. I mean what’s the big deal? Everybody runs over pedestrians.
– The city is a dangerous place for the old and infirm.
Here in the north, we put our old and infirm out on the ice when the Spring thaw comes. If we didn’t have that, we’d probably go with a similar method as California’s.
The liberal pigs gave him a citation for it! Disgusting! I hope he writes a column about their wives.
Bob Novak hates pedestrians. (and unicorns)
“The question really is how many conservatives do both in DC. ;-)”
Well, I’m neither a conservative nor a bicyclist, but I can assure you that if I lived in an area with that many elderly drunks driving that many big sports cars away from that many brothels, I’d probably feel more comfortable just hopping from rooftop to rooftop.
Anything to get Obama out of the headlines! Thanks, Bob! That’t takin’ one for the team.
and the driver is seldom held responsible.
BBH – On that, my friend, you are wrong. The police report may not hold the driver of the vehicle responsible, but juries are not always so level-headed.
if I lived in an area with that many elderly drunks driving that many big sports cars away from that many brothels,
Assuming quite a bit of facts not in evidence, aren’t we, Barrett?
I hope he writes a column about their wives.
Hey maybe he could out an uber-spook working deep undercover for the CIA!
The legend lives on from up Georgetown on down, to the building they call the Smithsonian.
Novak, it’s said, never stops for the peds, when the Corvette hums down Constitution.
With his mind in fifth gear, “the Veep choice is so near,” and sense that he may have been taken.
But fate had a plan and the windshield was slammed, by the Wreck of the DC Pedestr’n.
“Assuming quite a bit of facts not in evidence, aren’t we, Barrett?”
I’m not sure I understand your objection. Are you saying that DC is not filled with more than its fair share of drunks, brothels, sports cars, and elderly yahoos?
BJTex,
That’s wonderful!
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when cars and pedestrians tangle.
The experts they say he’d have crossed the broadway if he’d put 15 more steps behind him.
He might have leaped up or he might have ducked down, he might just have frozen in horror.
And all that remains is Bob’s old spinning game of “I knew not” and “maybe I oughtta!”
What did he know and when did he know it?
Are you saying that DC is not filled with more than its fair share of drunks, brothels, sports cars, and elderly yahoos?
That is not what you asserted previously. In your prior comment, you referenced elderly drunk people driving sports cars away from brothels, which is a significantly smaller number of people than adding up the elderly, people who drive sports cars, drunks, and brothels like you do in #29. Do goalposts get heavy?
Contributor Occupation Date Amount Recipient
BONO, DAVID
WASHINGTON,DC 20006 HARKINS CUNNINGHAM LLP/ATTORNEY 5/5/08 $1,000 Obama, Barack (D)
BONO, DAVID
WASHINGTON,DC 20016 SHEA & GARDNER 2/11/94 $250 Blanchard, Chuck (D)
BONO, DAVID
WASHINGTON,DC 20016 SHEA & GARDNER 8/22/94 $250 Blanchard, Chuck (D)
BONO, DAVID
WASHINGTON,DC 20016 SHEA & GORDON 6/16/94 $250 DNC Services Corp
BONO, DAVID
WASHINGTON,DC 20006 5/20/08 $-1,000 Obama, Barack (D)
BONO, DAVID A
WASHINGTON,DC 20016 SHEY & GARDNER 11/4/96 $1,000 Clinton, Bill (D)
BONO, DAVID A
WASHINGTON,DC 20016 SHEY & GARDNER 7/17/95 $250 Clinton, Bill (D)
From Opensecrets.org. Just saying….
With a last name like that he probably didn’t go into law for the money.
I would think that they get very heavy indeed, since when you tried to make off with them just now you seem to have fallen over. Perhaps you’re not getting enough protein?
If environment X is filled with an unusually large number of A, B, C, and D, the odds of A, B, C, and D occurring together are much higher than they would be in an environment with a lower number of A, B, C, and D. Nowhere did I assert that I was trying to add up the number of these elements in order to get the number of times in which all of these things would all be the case at once; I assumed that you were aware of how these things work – which is to say that, yes, I do have an unfortunate habit of assuming things that are not in evidence.
I assume that you are an asshat.
In #24 you state
but I can assure you that if I lived in an area with that many elderly drunks driving that many big sports cars away from that many brothels
In # 29 you change that very specific small subset of people (elderly drunks driving big sports cars away from brothels) to
Are you saying that DC is not filled with more than its fair share of drunks, brothels, sports cars, and elderly yahoos
I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
I report, the people decide.
“What’s going through my mind is, you just can’t hit a pedestrian and drive away,†Bono said.
Obama needs to bring him on board as an advisor, sharp thinker like that.
I just thank God it wasn’t Sonny Bono who got hit. The country couldn’t take such a-
What? Hit a tree, you say? Oh, never mind.
A fellow Tick fan! Da dwee, da da da dwee dow!
You’re right about me being an asshat. Nonetheless, I think the problem here is that you assume that I changed “X is filled with ABCD” from “X is filled with A,B,C,D” in #29 by asking you if you were of the opinion that X does not have high levels of A,B,C,D. This was not meant to be an argument – notice how it ended with a question mark – but rather to establish agreement between the two of us that A,B,C,D do indeed exist in high quantities in X, from which we could have used a few simple logical formulations to reach the shared conclusion that if A,B,C,D are required for ABCD, then ABCD is probably going to be more prevalent in X than they would be in Y (Branson, Missouri, for instance), where A,B,C,D are found less frequently or, in the case of at least one of those elements, not at all. To wit: if Washington has lots of brothels and liquor and whatnot and Branson has no brothels at all, then you need not worry about ABCD in Branson since there’s no C to be found (assuming C is a brothel) but you’d better pay close attention to the cars speeding by in Washington (which I won’t refer to D.C. due to the possibility of even more confusion).
In conclusion, Argentina is a land of contrasts.
“- The “splayed across the windshield†bit sounds like the old guy was shuffling along from between parked cars, and walked into the side of Novak slowly moving car. That sort of thing happens a lot, and the driver is seldom held responsible. ”
What does it sound like after you read the article?
“In conclusion, Argentina is a land of contrasts.”
– Whereas in Brazil, all the sockpuppets play the banjo.
Um, I was told there would be no math at PW. Particularly, story problems, thankyouverymuch.
“Whereas in Brazil, all the sockpuppets play the banjo.”
That, of course, depends on a number of factors, like the presence of element GG and whether or not all the Brazilian sockpuppets derive from him or his boyfriend. Any non-GG-(GG)boyfriend-derived sockpuppet would render your assertion incorrect. Welcome to the jungle – the MATH JUNGLE!!1/11!111eleven
In the Novak story, who’s the drunk, and what do brothels have to do with it?
“What does it sound like after you read the article?”
– It sounds like “splayed across the windshield”, which was all the detail available when I made that comment.
– Maybe you should hire onto Obama’s team. He loves people that are hindsight experts.
– BTW. It would be interesting to see how many trolls would be so interested if it had been Klugeman, or any one of the legacy media Lefturds driving, or say Jackson, or Sharpton, that would even be better. Give you a chance to say the pedestrian was obviously racist, not to mention the cyclist.
“- It sounds like “splayed across the windshieldâ€Â, which was all the detail available when I made that comment.”
The article says:
As he traveled east on K Street, crossing 18th, Bono said “a black Corvette convertible with top closed plows into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed into the windshield.â€Â
Bono said that the pedestrian, who was crossing the street on a “Walk” signal and was in the crosswalk, rolled off the windshield and that Novak then made a right into the service lane of K Street.
“In the Novak story, who’s the drunk, and what do brothels have to do with it?”
No one; sorry, I should have been clearer about that. I was talking about D.C. in general, and didn’t mean to imply anything about Novak. Journalists and politicians, you know. Glug, glug, vroom, vroom. Novak does have a tendency to have a couple of lunch drinks, I gather, but I sincerely doubt he was drunk at 10 in the morning. If he was, God bless the incorrigible ol’ coot.
Me? I’m just glad Novak was OK. You gotta admire the sheer will it takes to…wear a three piece suit in the DC summers.
– Thats nice afall. I still think it sounds a bit fishy. If he “plowed” into him at any speed he would normally have knocked him aside or run over him, not ended up with the guy splayed across his windsheild, but I suppose anything is possible.
– In the mean time since Novak is, you know, one of those horrible NeoCon Conservative guys, what would you like to see them do, execute him or waterboard first, and then execute?
Will this be the Republican version of a famous Democrat’s car accident?
“If he “plowed†into him at any speed he would normally have knocked him aside or run over him, not ended up with the guy splayed across his windsheild, but I suppose anything is possible.”
You’re quite a determined one. Me? I’d guess among the ‘anything that is possible’ would be included that cars can hit with something other than their front while turning on a crosswalk
“- In the mean time since Novak is, you know, one of those horrible NeoCon Conservative guys, what would you like to see them do, execute him or waterboard first, and then execute?”
clearly pardon his $50 ticket.
“Will this be the Republican version of a famous Democrat’s car accident?”
– The Kennedrunks, Ted and Patrick, were at their favorite watering hole at the time of the accident, and couldn’t be reached for comment.
– Mary Jo seldom comments anymore.
My sister has plates, screws, short term memory problems and scars from being hit by a car, so my heart goes out to the victim! I am thankful he is alive.
To this ridiculous statement though:
“Morally speaking, what Novak was doing here is no better than walking down a crowded street with his handgun, firing off .22 rounds at random. “He’s not dead, that’s the main thing,” says Novak but that’s just a coincidence.”
Wrong, just wrong. It was an accident and Novak never should have left the scene, but in all honesty, he too may have been in shock. Unless Novak set out to run pedestrians or bicyclists down, this is in no way like opening fire on a sidewalk. It is what it is, a horrible accident caused by a man that Matthew detests, which is really why he is so angry imo.
Every damn time anyone on the right does something stupid with a car, someone brings up Kennedy, or, on the reverse and someone on the left does something dopey then there must be mention of Laura Bush running over that boy. It makes one wish all cars were banned forever just to stop the BUT REMEMBER MARY JOOOOOOOooooo madness. Or maybe, for public debate’s sake, we should have a memory wipe and selected bits of (including Jane Fonda’s visit to Hanoi) would be wiped from the public memory forever. They cloud up the screen with the “yeah, but!!!” argument that is tired and stupid. Not to mention predicable and purposefully distracting, like that person who jumps up and waves a hand in front of the camera.
Other bits of irrelevant history that should NOT BE MENTIONED again? Since I’m a flaming librul, I can only think of stupid things libruls have done (Dean’s shriek, Dukakis’s tank ride) but tell me, righties, what right wing idiocies should be expunged and never mentioned again because they’re always getting dragged into arguments by left-wingers? Maybe Fanny Foxe, but that’s almost as old as the Mary Jo moment.
Re: #50, you couldn’t be more wrong. I know Novak somewhat. Novak quit drinking in the early 1990s, when even the smallest amount of alcohol made him sick and mixed badly with his medication. He says he misses drinking, but doesn’t dare do it. I believe he also says this in his autobiography, Prince of Darkness. So let’s leave off the libelous assertions…
The scene of the accident is a few blocks from his office and there are no brothels in NW DC.
oh damn. Wilbur Mills was a democrat. Okay, these are pretty recent, but maybe some of them can be added to the list of overused scandal bits.
http://andrew.myufo.com/2007/11/top_51_republican_scandals.html
We could do a trading card thing. A tit-for-tat retirement of dumb talking points: You promise never to mention Gary Hart’s screwing around and we’ll forget Brian Doyle trying to get together with a 14-year-old.
[…] Karl has the back story. Posted by Dan Collins @ 3:37 pm | Trackback SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Novak cited after hitting pedestrian [Dan Collins]”, url: “https://proteinwisdom.com/?p=12983” }); […]
Okay, kr, but we get to make fun of Silky Pony for a while longer. Deal?
58, I agree that before the accident, at least, Novak was guilty of nothing more than driving too aggressively on his way to work.
But this line….”No brothels in NW DC” . . . ?
Have you BEEN to NW DC?
But, Dan, you just wrote a “silky pony should get some slack” post. https://proteinwisdom.com/?p=12984 What’s the point of holding onto your pony card if you are going to be all reasonable and adult like that?
Of course he hit a lawyer. There were no skidmarks.
kr, I’m not exercising the option. I’m just saying that, blogistically speaking, it ought still to have been my privilege.
–“They cloud up the screen with the “yeah, but!!!†argument that is tired and stupid.”
– I doubt Mary Jo’s family would agree with your sentiments. As a matter of fact, I typed that to shut down the ridiculousness of endless partisan driven comments about a simple accident that could happen to any one of us.
He was prolly thumbing his Crackberry while driving.
Yes, Big Bang Hunter, the simple accident could happen to any of us. And maybe they’ll be no investigation, no charges, no lawsuit, in which case it ends there.
However, if one gets in a simple accident where they hit a pedestrian, the thing to do is stop safely and offer assistance, then wait to talk to the police. Not doing so carries consequences of their own and the choice is not one we would all make.
Many years ago I was riding my bike down a city street, when a VW beetle drove past and cut right into a service entrance in front of me. I hit the side of the car and went over it. Somehow coming down on the other side, the drivers, I managed to end up with my legs under the car.
The driver, a young woman, had slammed on the brakes at the sound of the impact, and was now looking around in a panic, mostly toward the passenger side where I had originally hit, and was sort of revving the engine as if about to drive on.
I was half stunned and could not really get up, but I managed to scream “STOP!!” loud enough to startle her, and she stalled the car (with my legs still under it). Then she finally looked my way and saw me. At which point she irately asked, “What the hell are you trying to do, scare me half to death?!!”
The rest of the story involves too many words that are unsuitable for this blog. Suffice it to say, we did not become friends.
(including Jane Fonda’s visit to Hanoi) would be wiped from the public memory forever.
Not a chance.
Killing someone in a car accident (even if drunk) isn’t in the same league as high treason.
Just for the record, newer Corvettes (I’m assuming Novak certainly could afford one) get great gas mileage (much better then Algore’s fleet of SUV’s). I’ve gotten close to 30 mpg on a trip and average just under 20 mpg in urban driving.
Insta-lanche
[…] Karl at Protein Wisdom: Seems like someone might want to get those eyes checked. It is a sad story, not only for the victim (who was treated at George Washington University Hospital for minor injuries), but also for Novak, who  for all of his rep as the “Prince of Darkness†and quips about running over pedestrians  is said to be one of the few Beltway pundits who is popular and well-liked in DC newsrooms. […]
I didn’t post on it, or you would have had an “AmPow-alanche”! LOL!
Keep it up.
Maybe instead of going through and comparing atrocities–Jane Fonda for Richard Nixon, say–it should be strictly a matter of time. Dan’ll like that because the silk pony stuff doesn’t have to go away–it’s recent newz.
How about a statute of limitations? Say 20 years. Anything a college freshman can’t recall, can’t be dredged up for an argument about This Just Shows How Terrible You [liberals/conservatives] Truly Are.
[…] Karl posted on this, of course, but I thought I’d letterbox it. Sociopath. See Liberty Street. I guess Soros digs that shit, though. Posted by Dan Collins @ 7:18 pm | Trackback SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Yglesias: And by “Fortunately,” I Mean Unfortunately [Dan Collins]”, url: “https://proteinwisdom.com/?p=12987” }); […]
I’m glad you were okay, Sherlock. That woman sounds like a real cunt.
In #53, I didn’t mean to compare atrocities. I was more interested in the level of interest (and anger: see Yglesias) that a happily minor accident has raised. And I wonder if this is due to Novak’s reputed political beliefs and his connection with the Plame affair.
Speaking personally, poppa india, my main reason for interest is his Catholic conversion and beliefs, which he’s spoken about prominently, and the hypocrisy with leaving someone injured or worse to save your neck, then lying (to the police), also to save your neck.
Assuming, of course, this is what happened. It may not have.
I can’t believe you all missed the best euphemism ever recorded:
“’Learn to read the signs, [bodily orifice]!’ Novak snapped before speeding away,â€Â
Not just orifice, not body orifice, but bodily orifice. Now that’s good writin’ right there.
I’m never saying asshole again, it will always be “Hey, [bodily orifice]! Try the turn signal, OK?”
Or better yet: “Hey, [handily finger] you!”
I drive out 14th from DC across the bridge in the afternoons. I aim for the bicyclists.
“Lefty”/”Righty”, I don’t care. GTFO of ruch hour traffic with your bicycle, morons.
The newscaster interviewed him right outside of his car. She could have at least examined his car for evidence of a damaging collision. If he had hit someone with enough force to splay someone on his windshield, then there would be a few dents in the hood, especially since it was Corvette.
I grew up in DC, and my parents taught me a few extra rules special for DC beyond the look both ways and cross at the corner and such. First rule: NEVER cross in front of a car with diplomatic plates. Even if the driver is stopped at the stop sign, sees you, and is smiling and motioning for you to cross. Second rule: Pretty much the same for cars with either NY or NJ plates.
…do we need to create special plates for journalists?