10A NEWS
Q & A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007
Journalist encourages reading news
BY SASHA ROE
sroe@kansan.com
Robert Novak, well-known conservative political journalist, writes the longest running syndicated column for the Chicago Sun Times. He has appeared as a contributor for CNN and Fox News. He was recently in the news for writing the column that outed CIA operative Valerie Plame. Novak visited the Dole Institute and held a book signing for his new book, "The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington." Novak visited with The Kansan earlier Tuesday.
Q: How do you see the political climate in Washington today?
A: Well, everything points to the Democrats. Everything's in their favor, and they will have to work very hard to lose the 2008 election, but I think they can do it if they try.
date they like the most.
Q: Who do you see as the strongest democrat?
A: Well, I don't think Senator Clinton is the strongest candidate. She's a huge favorite for the nomination. I think she's the most dangerous candidate. Democrats don't necessarily nominate their strongest candidate, they nominate a candi-
Q: Do you have a favorite candidate for the Republicans?
Robert D. Novak, author and syndicated columnist, speaks at the Dole Institute about his recently released book of memoirs. Novak was a commentator for CNN for 25 years and is now working as a commentator for Fox News, occasionally appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press."
A: Not really, I think I'm fondest of Ron Paul. He's not going to be president, he's not going to be nominated, but I enjoy him and I guess he's the only person I agree with on foreign policy. All the candidates have defects, major defects, but we've elected a lot of presidents with major defects over the years.
Q: Where did you get the nick name the "Prince of Darkness"?
A: I was covering the senate in 1959 for the Wall Street Journal. I was 28 years old. I was with one of my colleagues for the Washington Post, John Lindsay, a very good friend of mine and we'd have these long conversations about the senate. I thought the senate was composed of frauds and windbags, then and now. I used talk to John about that, and I had a dim view of the future of the country and western civilization, and really just detested professional politicians. So he said, "Novak, you sound like the Prince of Darkness."
Q2 Did you know that would be the appropriate title for your book?
Jessica Crabaugh/KANSAN
Robert D. Novak, author of "The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington",
hold a book sign after his comment in Datev. Novak released these memoirs in July 2007.
A: Yes, it was my idea and the publishers thought it was a great idea. It's been a much better seller than those books usually are. They tell me that at one Washington bookstore they had the book next to a Harry Potter book, so a lot of people thought that the Prince of Darkness was Harry Potter grown up. Might have helped the sales that way.
Q: Do you have any advice I can take back to my classmates in the journalism school?
A: Yes, first thing, this will sound really ridiculous. Read the newspaper. I dealt with entry-level people, interns and production assistants and they never read the paper. They said they could get what they needed to know from the television. No, they can't. You have got to read the papers. Secondly, I think you have to have a good grounding in political history. A lot of young journalists have no idea who anybody is. The other thing is you have to have a
sense of curiosity, and really have to know, "why do they do this?"
Q: How do you think history will judge George W. Bush over the next 20 years?
A: Well, usually politicians after they're dead have a much better judgment from history. Gerald Ford was a really mediocre president and got a terrific review since he died. Ronald Reagan, who I thought was a great president, became an icon after he died. Harry Truman, he's now an icon.
Q: Are you going to keep writing?
A: I have to because I don't think I could handle it if I don't keep writing. I can't imagine what I'd do. I don't play golf. I don't fish; I don't hunt. I can't drink much anymore. I stopped gambling. What am I going to do? I don't think retirement is very good for your health.
CRIME
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friends of the teenager killed in a drunken driving accident want to petition the court for the maximum sentence. The defendant is former 'Prison Break' star Lane Garrison.
Star's sentencing to be held today
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELLES — Friends of a teenager killed in actor Lane Garrison's drunken driving crash hope to submit a petition to send the former "Prison Break" actor to a real lockup for nearly seven years.
max im u m penalty of six years and eight months, but said it would be accepted at Wednesday's sentencing if it were submitted through the district attorney's office, said James Lee, a spokesman
A bailiff refused on Tuesday to accept a 3,600-signature petition asking Garrison receive the
"You really can't allow a celebrity ... to basically walk away from killing somebody," Lee said. "You have to convince people that justice can be equal across the board."
"Obviously, there's a sense that people want closure and they want justice and they want an appropriate punishment," Lee said. "We're talking about the loss of a life, here."
Garrison's attorney said he sees the effort as an improper attempt to influence sentencing.
"Obvioiusly, there's a sense that people want closure and they want justice and they want an appropriate punishment."
for the teen's family.
The Los Angeles County prosecutor's office had not received the petition Tuesday.
Garrison, 27, is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in Superior Court in Beverly Hills in the Dec. 2 death of his passenger Vahagn Setian, 17.
"It's almost sentencing by gathering signatures" rather than by the procedures of the legal system, Harland Braun said. "They are doing it to try to influence a judge, and it's very immoral. ... The lesson that's being taught these high school kids is inappropriate."
JAMES LEE Family spokesman for the victim
Friends and classmates of the dead teen gathered signatures after school, at football games, in front of stores and by going door to door. Lee said.
"We don't sentence people by gathering signatures like some kind of political initiative at a parking lot at a Ralph's supermarket."
Garrison was driving a 2001 Land Rover when he
lost control and rammed a tree. The crash killed Setian, a Beverly Hills High student, and injured 15-year-old girls in the car.
Garrison had a blood-alcohol content of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving, and was under the influence of cocaine, according to police.
The actor pleaded guilty in May to one count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, one count of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent or higher and a misdemeanor of providing alcohol to a minor.
Braun said he would ask that his client be sentenced to probation. The Los Angeles County prosecutor's office has asked for four years and eight months, two years less than the maximum.
At his last court appearance Aug. 2, the actor apologized to the victim's family.
》 COURTS
Mississippi execution stopped in last hour
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court halted an execution in Mississippi Tuesday, less than an hour before a convicted killer was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection.
The last-minute reprieve for Earl Wesley Berry is the third granted by the justices since they agreed late last month to decide a challenge to Kentucky's lethal injection procedures. Tuesday's order was the latest indication that most, if not all, executions by lethal execution will be halted at least until the justices decide the Kentucky case.
Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia would have allowed the execution to go forward.
Berry was convicted of kidnap
ping a woman in 1987 and beating her to death before dumping her body in the woods. His execution was planned for 7 p.m. EDT.
The Supreme Court has allowed only one execution to go forward since agreeing to hear the Kentucky case. Michael Richard was executed in Texas on Sept. 25, the same day the court said it would hear a lethal injection challenge from two death row inmates in Kentucky. State and lower federal courts have halted all other scheduled executions since then.
Berry asked for a delay at least until the court issues its decision in the Kentucky case. He claims the mixture of deadly chemicals Mississippi uses will cause unnecessary pain, constituting cruel and unusual punishment.