Media: Novak the sacrificial lamb

While discussing Rep. Katherine Harris's (R-FL) plan to run for a Senate seat against Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Novak told Carville, "Just let me finish what I'm going to say, James, please. I know you hate to hear me." Carville said to host Ed Henry, describing Novak: "He's gotta show these right-wingers that he's got backbone, you know. The Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em you're tough."

Novak responded: "Well, I think that's bullshit, and I hate that." He then said to Henry, "Just let it go." As Henry asked Carville a question, Novak walked off the set.

After the segment ended, Henry apologized to viewers for Novak's leaving the set "a little early," adding: "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."

So Novak is temporarily canned. And while I certainly consider Novak on my medium-length list of manipulative dickheads, I don't quite see what good it does to suspend the guy at this point. If CNN is going to endorse and keep an asshole on its payroll, it might as well stick with him instead of acting like they didn't expect shit like this to happen. The dude is involved or at least implicated in a major vindictive breach of national security, and you're surprised when he acts like a putz when an equally asinine Democrat starts running his mouth off? Crazy.

Of course, Novak is now the ultimate sacrificial lamb, the ultimate proof of liberal media bias. Bernie Goldberg just jizzed a pint into his pants. I don't bother reading Powerline, but I might have to head over there just to hear the whining and groaning about Bob's slaughter on the altar of conservatism.

CNN would be well served by canning all of their opinion chode heads, and leaving soft news where it belongs with Fox.