Journalist Robert Novak鈥檚 farewell is religious, not political
Robert Novak 鈥渢ook his faith seriously,鈥� said Reverend Monsignor Peter Vaghi, the priest who baptized the veteran political columnist as a Catholic in 1998 and who spoke at his funeral Friday morning.
Novak鈥檚 religious side was much in evidence at the funeral held at St. Patrick鈥檚 in the City, a cavernous, ornate Catholic church in downtown Washington. There, amid stained glass windows, religious statues, and a priest swinging incense, some 500 friends and family members said goodbye to the outspoken conservative columnist and broadcaster. Novak's career at the center of politics in the nation鈥檚 capital spanned half a century.
No political talking heads
While famous politicians and well-known journalists filled St. Patrick鈥檚 for the farewell, they were not asked to speak. Unlike some Washington funerals where family or friends offer reminiscences, at Novak鈥檚 service the only memories shared with the congregation came from two priests.
Reverend Monsignor Salvatore Criscuolo, who delivered the homily, said Novak 鈥渢old me in no uncertain terms, which he was famous for doing,鈥� what the service should contain. The hour-long Mass was dominated by hymns, prayers, scriptural readings, and the taking of Communion.
The gathering had a decidedly bi-partisan cast. In one pew near the rear of the church on the right side sat Karl Rove, senior advisor to President George W. Bush. Grover Norquist, who heads the Americans for Tax Reform, sat a few rows in front of Rove.
Democrats in attendance included Bob Shrum, a senior advisor to John Kerry鈥檚 presidential campaign and a long-time speechwriter for Senator Edward Kennedy. He sat near the center aisle on the left. Also on hand from the Democratic elite was Donna Brazile, campaign manager for the Gore-Lieberman ticket in 2000.
And, of course, there was a large contingent from the world of political journalism including several who had been panelists along with Novak on CNN鈥檚 log-running 鈥淐apital Gang鈥� broadcast. That list included Al Hunt of Bloomberg News, columnist Mark Shields, MSNBC contributor Patrick Buchanan, and Kate O鈥橞eirne of the National Review.
Belated White House comment
When White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked at Friday鈥檚 briefing why the White House did not put out a statement on Novak鈥檚 death, he gave this response. 鈥淢r. Novak was somebody who wrote for one of the local Chicago papers, and I think no matter how you felt personally about his political leanings, I think the President would agree with many that have said they had respect for his reporting and for his ability and his opinions, even if they didn't agree with him. And I think that's probably a good lesson for all of us, either in August for town hall meetings, or as we move forward on issues like healthcare or anything else.鈥�