Novak Retires, Says His Brain-Tumor Prognosis is 'Dire'

By: E&P Staff Columnist Robert Novak -- who was diagnosed last month with a brain tumor -- is retiring immediately, the Chicago Sun-Times reported today.

The Sun-Times/Creators Syndicate pundit described his prognosis as "dire," according to the Chicago newspaper.

"The details are being worked out with the doctors this week, but the tentative plan is for radiation and chemotherapy," said Novak, 77, who joined the Sun-Times in 1966. His column, originally done with the late Rowland Evans, entered syndication three years earlier while with the old New York Herald-Tribune.

Last month, Novak was cited for a hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian on a Washington, D.C., street. Soon after, he was diagnosed with the brain tumor.

In recent years, Novak was best known for his 2003 column revealing the identity of then-CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose name was leaked by two Bush administration officials after her husband wrote a New York Times op-ed piece accusing the administration of twisting facts to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Creators President Richard S. Newcombe, in a statement e-mailed this afternoon to E&P, said Novak "is a legend in the world of political journalism, and his insights and analyses are going to be dearly missed."

Also, Creators noted that Novak's 45-year run was one of the longest in syndication history for a political columnist.