Really bizarre:
Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning.
A Politico reporter saw Novak in the front of a police car with a citation in his hand; a WJLA-TV crew and reporter saw Novak as well. The pedestrian, a male in his 60s, was hospitalized at George Washington University Hospital with minor injuries according to the Metro Fire Department. Novak was later released by police and drove away from the scene.
“I didn’t know I hit him,” Novak told Politico. Novak said he was a block away from 18th and K St. NW, where the accident happened, when a bicyclist stopped him and said, “You hit someone.” He said he was cited for failing to yield the right of way.
The Politico has an interview with him right after he got the cop car, and in the video he looks really rattled and out of it.
Gregory
What, was his office out of puppies and kittens to kick?
dorkboy
Novak drives a Corvette?
Keith
Yes, that’s exactly what I thought as my brain crafted an image of Bob Novak cruising around DC in a convertible ‘Vette. I would have figured he’d be driving one of these.
jake
He drives a ‘Vette? Egads, Steve Dallas would be proud.
4tehlulz
Was the pedestrian a CIA agent?
Brachiator
Novak was obviously cruising the streets pretending to be the Batman.
sean
A corvette? Is his penis that small?
PeterJ
First he got used by the McCain campaign and then this, not a good week for the Douchebag of Liberty.
Stooleo
Wow, what an a-hole. If it hadn’t been for the guy on the bike , he would have just kept on going. Wonder how the tough on crime folks are going to respond to this.
nightjar
Two obvious questions here; How do you hit someone with a Corvette and not know it, and; How does a bicyclist stop a Corvette, a block away no less?
Rex
What kind of countertops does that pedestrian have? I have doubts that he really needed to be walking.
PeterJ
And from Newsmeat, David Bono.
The Moar You Know
No Breathalyzer? WHAT THE FUCK?
Jay B.
Huh. I thought he just flew around by night and took human shape during the day.
RSA
ThinkProgress has the answer.
Ella in NM
Jeezis!!!!! How long did it take you to get the idea to link to THAT? Remind me in the future to make sure I am an ANONYMOUS Good Samaritan!!!!
By the way, if you link to the Politico story, there are some interesting posts in the comments area that make you realize Novak’s got a BIG problem on his hands now.
My question: why no Breathylizer done on the scene, or blood test ordered? I would think it would be one of the first things a cop investitating a hit and run would order.
Half the time I hear him on the TeeVee he’s slurring his words, and that’s in the middle of the day.
Barbara
Well, that intersection has both a main road and a service road, with some significant obstructions. I am guessing he was trying to turn right (18th Street is one way) and was looking at the oncoming traffic rather than at the pedestrians trying to cross the street. I was hit at 18th and M this way, but the guy saw me at the last minute so he only “tapped” me and I didn’t need any medical treatment.
How he didn’t notice is beyond me, though.
Stooleo
Any of us mere mortals would probably end up going to jail, having committed such a crime. Novak will get off with a fine and maybe some community service. Imagining Novak spending 2000 hours volunteering at homeless shelter makes me feel a little better, although.
Incertus
He was going 20 in the fast lane and had his blinker on the whole time?
Mary
My kind of cyclist. MRORRRRRWWWRR!!
Or, maybe, blame it on traffic. If other cars had to back up to get Novak to back up, it must have been pretty congested.
(Guys, you want female interest? Get on a damn bike. SRSLY.)
EdTheRed
…and the writing staff of the Daily Show gives thanks to the Flying Spaghetti Monster…
calipygian
I worked for a Navy Commander, a big guy who played ice hockey, who was in the 1st class line waiting to board an airplane, and this little old man literally pushed him aside, told him to get the fuck out of the way and jumped ahead of him in line.
That little old man that pushed my boss aside was douchebag Robert Novak.
My boss is the nicest guy and nearly punched him out in line there.
Sarcastro
My kind of cyclist. MRORRRRRWWWRR!!
One can only hope it went something like this.
I’ve driven many a Corvette (and hated them all) and I swear, you almost notice it when you hit BUGS in those harsh, crashy, ill-sprung rattleboxes.
Punchy
P-r-e-s-i-d-e-n-t-i-a-l P-a-r-d-o-n.
Now everyone repeat it.
nightjar
Yes, but just because the pedestrian was “splayed ” out on the Vettes hood, doesn’t mean the guy was covert and hadn’t been hit by someone else first.
Seanly
This is obviously bad for Obama and Democrats!
The Moar You Know
No shit. I was riding in SF one day and a vehicle started following me, staying just a short distance behind. I started getting a little nervous (thinking maybe I was about to get shot or something), looked back, and a young lady poked her head out the window and said “hi, just enjoying the show!”
My kind of shameless :)
The Briscoe Kid
Channeling his inner Daisy Buchanan I guess.
justme
Well, seeing as how Cheney will be leaving DC soon, Novak was just looking into alternate supplies of fresh blood.
JR
Your Honor, this eyewitness is a fist-jabbing terrorist.
Case dismissed!
John Cole
Not too many girls like horror films and freak shows. But then again, this was San Fran.
Ted
‘Well that’s just bullshit and I hate that!!’
jake
The bikes make much better time in that part of town than the cars. I’ve had more close calls with messengers down there than any four wheeled vehicle.
I can’t believe Nosak got off with a failure to yield. Back when I was a young ‘un we called that hit and run.
Of course, given that area there’s a good chance the pedestrian was homeless and the cop was a douchebag.
Zifnab
Sir. I do believe you just got burned.
PeterJ
And yet again, Novak has proven himself useful to the McCain campaign.
Kevin
So, what will the Daily Show’s take be?
Punchy
Uh oh. McCain’s at it again:
This isn’t quite “OBAMA IS HITLER, BITCHES!”, but it’s getting dangerously close to “OBAMA IS HITLER’S BEST BUDDY!”
Damn. Still waiting for the N-word to drop, and they’ve already run circles around Goodwin. Fucking insane.
John Cole
OT: Soaked some black-eyed peas last night, and I was just going to dice up some onions, throw the peas and some lemon and lime juice and a little salt in the fridge to chill to make a side salad. Think I should add some garlic and basil? Or leave as is?
cyntax
Nah, more like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO4oclekNv0
dslak
Garlic would be too strong, and the basil would be wasted, as it would be overpowered by the other flavors.
Napoleon
It just occurred to me, the police may have not arrested him for hit and run because they may not have been able to. I went to law school but have never done criminal work, but thinking back it seems to me that we learned that police can only charge for certain things. It is something like all misdemeanors and only felonies that occurred in their presence. They may not have charged him because the hit and run maybe a felony and in effect did not occur in front of them (he was stopped by someone other then the police). So what they may be planning is to take it to the prosecutor who then may take it to a grand jury for the charge.
Just saying.
Noah
I assume McCain VP buzz will now start to swirl around the guy Novak hit with his car.
You heard it here first!
LarryB
Bob Novak is a self-confessed [former] drunk. Maybe he fell off the wagon. I’m surprised that the policeman who ticketed him didn’t make him walk the line. Actually, I’m surprised Novak wasn’t hauled in for hit and run.
Krista
Some cilantro might be nice with that mix, John.
justme
IIRC, people get charged with hit and run well after having left the scene, hence the “run” part. I doubt that the cop not being at the scene at the time has much to do with it.
linda
a $50 citation for hitting a pedestrian and leaving the scene of an accident.
iokiyar.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301624.html?hpid=topnews
dslak
I second the cilantro suggestion.
Michael D.
Chick peas, black beans, lime, garlic, salt. Yum.
LarryB
Garlic, yes. Basil, no. Maybe parsley, now…
The Moar You Know
I’m sitting here in the smoldering ashes of my dignity, having just been royally pwned by the site owner.
Somehow, me, my awesome wit, incredible intelligence, and, most importantly, my awesome bicyclist body will have to carry on.
Zuzu's Petals
No surprise. The DFH was riding a bike, after all.
Tony J
The image of a leather-clad, wrapparound-shades wearing Irish rock-tosser, furiously peddling his green-machine through the mean streets of DC in the wake of Novak’s weaving corvette hollering “Oy! Get back ‘ere y’ eejit fookin’ bastard!” will stay with me for a long time.
Tsulagi
Didn’t Cheney say the same thing when he
shotpeppered an old guy he didn’t see?Obviously you really don’t want to be anywhere near one of these really competent big picture see-ers if they have a weapon or a steering wheel in their hands.
Gregory
IMO the answer to this question is always “yes,” but then I’m Italian.
b. hussein canuckistani
Wave if you see me on College St! I’m the one who looks like a middle-aged nerd.
calipygian
“And that fucking cyclist wouldn’t let me turn around and finish the fucker off,” Novak added.
Ricky
When I happened upon the footage of Novak getting out of a squad car at CNN I look in vain for a wriggling, handcuffed Karl Rove to emerge as well. Diasappontment reigned.
Then my thoughts leapt to Phil Gramm. Last week, after McCain threw Phil off the bus, Novak drove Gramm over in his Columnette so he could get back on. McCain threw him off again so that would put Gramm on pavement in proximity of steering wheel packing Novak.
Turns out to be just a civilian. Well, at least Bobby Jindal has exorcised himself from VP consideration.
PeterJ
Source: Novak’s Victim Worse Than First Thought.
Hopefully, for the victim’s sake, they are wrong.
r€nato
Robert Novak +3
kate r
Heh. I like this link. http://abovethelaw.com/2008/07/lawyer_of_the_day_david_bono.php
The guy on the bike who stopped Novak looks like Erik Estrada. Another mystery: WHY a man named Bono would go into law–from day one of law school he’s heard pro-bono jokes.
r€nato
I’d say it’s a valuable way to determine who the followers of Captain Obvious are.
gil mann
People called me weird for constantly harping on the similarities between Bob Novak and Halle Berry. Who’s weird now, weirdos?
Sarcastro
Garlic would be too strong…
Raw garlic yes, but garlic confit would be perfect.