The BS of Inside Politics

To to say that things got a little heated today on CNN's Inside Politics would be an understatement. Things boiled over.

CNN reacted to the unpleasantness by suspending Bob Novak.
NEW YORK (AP) -- CNN suspended commentator Robert Novak indefinitely after he swore and walked off the set Thursday during a debate with Democratic operative James Carville.

The live exchange during CNN's "Inside Politics" came during a discussion of Florida's Senate campaign. CNN correspondent Ed Henry noted when it was over that he had been about to ask Novak about his role in the investigation of the leak of a CIA officer's identity.

A CNN spokeswoman, Edie Emery, called Novak's behavior "inexcusable and unacceptable." Novak apologized to CNN, and CNN was apologizing to viewers, she said.

"We've asked Mr. Novak to take some time off," she said.

I agree that it's a good idea for Novak to take a break. He needs it.

I also agree with CNN's assessment that his behavior was out of line.

That said, I think he showed remarkable restraint, relatively speaking.

James Carville was really going overboard with his taunting. If it had been a football game, the referee would have called a personal foul on Carville and probably booted him off the field.

The transcript gives a glimpse of Carville's bullying and the bizarre way Henry and Carville reacted to Novak's outburst.

It's worth noting that before this exchange, Henry had already warned Carville, "No cheap shots."

I guess Carville couldn't help himself. He was on a roll of incivility and rudeness, interrupting and attacking.

HENRY: And the "Strategy Session" continues on INSIDE POLITICS. Still here: James Carville and Robert Novak.

Katherine Harris made a name for her self during the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential race. She was then Florida's secretary of state. She went on to the House of Representatives.

Now she wants to move over to the United States Senate. Today she got the news that the speaker of the Florida House won't challenge her for the Republican nomination. In the meantime, Harris is blaming unnamed newspapers for tarnishing her image by doctoring her makeup with Photoshop. -- that computer program. Bob Novak, have you been investigating this make-up story?

NOVAK: No, but I've had the same experience that she did. A lot of my trouble in the world is that they've doctored my make-up and colorized me in a lot of newspapers on my picture. So, I sympathize with her.

HENRY: This is breaking news. I've haven't heard this.

CARVILLE: Breaking news. Who did it? What paper?

NOVAK: Well, I don't. I can't tell you.

CARVILLE: Yes. You know the two happiest people in America today about this decision, is Bill Nelson and Jay Leno. I mean --

HENRY: Bill Nelson the Democratic Senator.

CARVILLE: The Democratic Senator and Jay Leno. That -- I mean, they're going to go nuts over this. They're messing with my make-up, but you really don't know who it is. I mean, let's say this: She's going to be good for the humor circuit. She's going to be good for the speech circuit and she's good for a lot. And I think that Nelson -- I think, it's probably no secret that the White House wanted the speaker to run and I suspect that the Nelson people are, you know, feeling pretty good here today.

NOVAK: A couple of points here: The first place, don't be too sure she's going to lose. All the establishment's against her and I've seen these Republican -- anti-establishment candidates who do pretty well. Ronald Reagan, I guarantee you that the establishment wasn't for him. We just elected a senator from Oklahoma, Senator Tom Coburn, everybody in the establishment was against him. She might get elected -- So, wait. Just let me finish what I'm going to say, James. Please, I know you hate to hear me, but you have...

CARVILLE: He's got to show these right wingers that he's got backbone. Show them you're tough.

NOVAK: Well, I think that's bullshit. And I hate that. Just let it go.

(Novak leaves set.) HENRY: OK. James, what do you think though, seriously about this Senate race, James, that the -- that basically the Katherine Harris and Bill Nelson, if they do square off, what do you think -- what will that mean for Bill Nelson? He's considered an endangered incumbent.

CARVILLE: Yeah. I don't think -- I think it's actually pretty good news that far down, because I think they thought this speaker would be a tougher guy. It was just one of these things. I think Nelson's feeling pretty good right now. It won't be a primary. He'd rather not have a primary. But I suspect he's feeling pretty good.

HENRY: Yeah. In the balance of power though, among some of the hottest Senate races, Florida being one of them, that's a state that's gone red in the last couple of cycles. Bill Nelson being a Democrat who could face a pretty tough race.

Henry and Carville proceed as if nothing had happened. At the end of the segment, Henry finally addresses Novak's blow-up.
HENRY: Thanks, James Carville. And I'm sorry as well that Bob Novak obviously left the set a little early. I had told him in advance that we were going to ask him about the CIA leak case. He was not here for me to be able to ask him about that. Hopefully we'll be able to ask him about that in the future.

Why did Henry bring up the CIA leak case when he ended the segment? He seemed to insinuate that Novak designed his departure in order to avoid addressing the issue.

To use Novak's term, that's bull----.

There's no question that Novak behaved unprofessionally. However, I think it's wrong to connect that incident with upcoming questioning about the Plame case. Although Carville didn't use profanity or storm off the set, he behaved boorishly and unprofessionally, too.

The New York Times coverage of this story is pure anti-Novak propaganda.

Robert D. Novak, the syndicated columnist whose unmasking of a C.I.A. operative touched off an investigation about a possible leak, stalked off a live appearance on CNN yesterday afternoon after James Carville, the Democratic strategist, accused him of trying to make a particular point "to show these right wingers" that he had "backbone" and was "tough."

The moderator of the program, Ed Henry, later said on the air that he had warned Mr. Novak that he planned to ask him "about the C.I.A. leak case."

"Hopefully, we'll be able to ask him about that in the future," Mr. Henry said.

That opportunity may not arrive soon. About two hours later, a spokeswoman for CNN, Laurie Goldberg, released a statement saying that the network had "asked Mr. Novak to take some time off." Asked later in a telephone interview whether Mr. Novak was being suspended from his work at the Cable News Network, Ms. Goldberg said, "We're characterizing it as a mutual decision."

In her earlier statement, Ms. Goldberg said: "Mr. Novak has apologized to CNN, and CNN apologizes to its viewers for his language and actions."

...Asked last night in a telephone interview why he thought Mr. Novak had acted as he did, Mr. Carville said, "Bob's probably got a lot going on in his life."

Yes, he probably does. Is that why Carville chose to attack him the way he did? Is it because Carville perceived Novak to be vulnerable? If that's the case, Carville displayed an ugly sadistic streak.

Like Henry on CNN, both the Times and the Post put the Plame case front and center in the matter.

Read the transcript. Carville and Novak were talking about Katherine Harris, and Carville was acting like a thug. Neither the Times nor the Post nor CNN say a word about Carville's unacceptable, disrespectful behavior.

Moreover, the Times characterizes Novak as "the syndicated columnist whose unmasking of a C.I.A. operative touched off an investigation about a possible leak" in the first sentence of the story.

It's been shown that Novak did not "unmask" Plame. Playing with the truth in this fashion only serves to further damage the Times' shaky credibility.

The liberal media has chosen to use the story as a springboard to talk about Plame, rather than deal with the relevant aspects of the incident.

That's bull----.
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Read Novak's column about his involvement in the Plame case.