Novak originally achieved notoriety as half of the political writing team, with the great Rowland Evans, of the syndicated column "Inside Report," which debuted the same year as the split-window Corvette coupe and would eventually become the longest-running syndicated column in U. S. history. In 1985, Novak joined CNN's political debate show "Crossfire," which was also the name of a fuel-injection system that debuted on the Corvette just three years earlier, although Chevrolet did use the hyphenated form of the title, "Cross-Fire." In 2003, as the Corvette celebrated its 50th anniversary with special badging, Novak became embroiled in scandal for his public identification of Valerie Plame as a CIA agent. He purchased his Corvette, a black convertible, shortly thereafter

Novak's accident was little more than a year ago; he struck the pedestrian, 86-year-old homeless man Don Clifford Liljenquist, in an incident that many chose to interpret as an uncannily apt metaphor for the modern neo-conservative movement, if not for Corvette ownership. Novak was stopped by a man on a bicycle — the make and model of which is unimportant — was detained, and was later fined $50.

The announcement of his tumor came just days later, and there is some speculation that it may have been a legitimate factor in the accident, as failure to notice dramatic but sudden occurrences may be a sign of damage to the central nervous system.

Whatever one's beliefs, political discourse will be less interesting without Novak, who undoubtedly had a sense of theater and seemed to love playing the cartoon villain at every opportunity. He was also rumored to habitually flip other drivers the bird from the window of his ‘Vette while navigating heavy traffic, a sentiment of which drivers of every type of car and political stripe can certainly approve. [Gawker]

Dr. Lynne Taylor, a neuro-oncologist at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, said residents at the hospital are taught to check for brain tumors in patients who report having a recent car accident in which they didn't realize they struck something.

"People get spatial and visual neglect of a certain part of their bodies and they don't realize they've done what they've done," said Taylor, a fellow with the American Academy of Neurology.

Since you can't realize you hit something without realizing it, let this be a Jalopnik PSA for people out there: Make sure anyone who gets involved in an accident where they are unaware they struck anything receives proper medical attention. This, of course, assumes that the night didn't start out at a beer chugging contest. In that case, get them to an AA meeting and take away their keys. We wish Robert Novak the best and hope that Newsweek retracts their Bob Novak Dignity Index, which was published before the announcement of the tumor and includes the unfortunate title "Bob Novak Has Had Better Weeks."

[AP via TPM, Photo: Davidson.edu]

When police arrived at the scene they ticketed Novak for failure to yield; however, other charges may be pending. The 60-year-old pedestrian was treated for injuries at George Washington University Hospital and later released. We're assuming Novak will plead not guilty, as the pedestrian was a liberal scumbag who failed to yield to the conservative reality of his 'Vette's bumper. (H/T to Maxichamp and SwatLax) [Politico]