Robert Novak is dead. Famous right-wing columnist. Famous talking head. Prince of Darkness, etc.  Prior to his battle with cancer, he had last made headlines not for his work behind his typewriter but for his work behind the wheel of his Corvette. In July 2008, he was cited for hitting a pedestrian with his black sports car. Politico reported Novak’s reaction at the time:

“‘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. ‘He’s not dead, that’s the main thing.’ Novak said he was a block away from 18th and K streets Northwest, where the accident occurred, when a bicyclist stopped him and said, ‘You hit someone.’ He said he was cited for failing to yield the right of way.”

HuffPo makes the columnist’s death its lead story! His old home—-the Chicago Sun-Times—-has a piece as well; the story reports that Novak was a real pro. Unless you remember Valerie Plame.