Is Bob Novak really such a dick?

Well maybe. Read Amy Sullivan's piece (originally in Washington Monthly) and see for yourself. This is an excellent overview of the whole sick Valerie Plame situation, involving a government witchhunt of journalists and their sources - and of how Novak seems to be able to fly over the BS that envelops his less well-connected colleagues, such as Judith Miller of the New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine.

Of course, federal prosecutors going after journalists is a much bigger issue than teflon Novak. While on the subject, CNN's Lou Dobbs reports that "up to ten" U.S. journalists are under threat of going to jail for refusing to reveal their sources. Yes, this is a bona fide assault on the First Amendment. Journalists need a federal shield law, and now!