Journalism lost a giant this week when my friend Robert Novak was called home to be with our Lord. I first met "the Prince of Darkness" while I was serving on Ronald Reagan's National Security Council staff.
Rather than accepting and repeating the second-hand misinformation about the Nicaraguan resistance that appeared in most of the mainstream media, Novak wanted to meet and talk to the freedom fighters in Nicaragua. He mentioned this to someone at the White House, and I was told "go down Pennsylvania Avenue and have a private, off-the-record meeting with Bob Novak." I did as ordered, put him in touch with the resistance political and military leaders, and the rest is history. Within days, Bob Novak was in Central America, risking his life, accompanying those who were fighting for their liberty against the Soviet-supported, communist Sandinista government.
Bob Novak also gave me my start in television.
When Pat Buchanan was preparing to run for president, Bob called and asked if I wanted to be a substitute co-host on CNN's "Crossfire." At Bob's urging, I accepted — and
was later offered the job of co-host on MSNBC's "Equal Time." Had Bob Novak not cared enough to contact me first, it's unlikely that I would have had the marvelous opportunity to serve as the host of "War Stories" on FOX News Channel and keep company with American heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bob Novak was a mentor, a patriot, a sage observer, an honest reporter, a gifted writer and a friend. His fidelity to his country, his family and his Lord are evident in the words and relationships he leaves behind. Shortly after he was diagnosed with the brain tumor that eventually killed him, I asked if he was anxious about the future. His words were simple but eloquent: "I have had a full life. If I am cured, good; if not, so be it. I am assured of salvation and eternity ahead. What more could a man ask?"
What more, indeed. My condolences to his wife Geraldine and the entire Novak family.
