Long before Robert Novak became the center of a political
firestorm in the Valerie Plame CIA leak scandal, he had
established himself as one of the finestβand most
controversialβpolitical reporters in America. Now, in this
sweeping, monumental memoir, Novak offers the first full
account of his involvement in that affair, while also
revealing the fascinating story of his remarkable life and
career. This is a singular journey through a half century of
stories, scandals, and personal encounters with Washingtonβs
most powerful and colorful people.
Novak has been a Washington insider since the days when the
place was a sleepy southern town and journalism was built on
shoe leather and the ability to cultivate and keep sources
(not to mention the ability to hold oneβs liquor). He has
covered every president since Truman, known (personally and
professionally) virtually all the big movers and shakers in
D.C., and broken a number of the biggest storiesβthe Plame
story, we see here, being far from the most important. In
this book, he puts it all into perspective. He also reveals
the extraordinary transformations that have fundamentally
remade Washington, politics, and journalismβand his own role
in those transformations.
Moving beyond the βfirst draft of historyβ that is daily
journalism, Novak can at last tell the stories behind the
stories. He vividly recalls encounters with the Kennedys
(angry meetings with Bobby, a scary ride home in Jackβs
convertible), his unusual relationship with Lyndon Johnson
(who hosted Novakβs wedding reception and who, βdrunk as a
loon,β had to be carried out of a bar by the youngnewsman),
a decidedly odd off-the-record lunch with Ronald Reagan, and
his first meetings with George W. Bushβat which the veteran
journalist seriously underestimated the future president. We
meet other fascinating characters as well, from Deng
Xiaoping to Ted Turner to Ezra Pound.
Writing with bracing candor, Novak tells us how politics and
journalism truly operate at the highest levels, both
publicly and behind closed doors. He is equally open about
his private experience. He writes frankly about the days
when his drinking reflected too closely the boozy ways of
the town. He acknowledges times when his job took precedence
over his family. He is reflective about his political
journey to the right. And he writes more personally than
ever before about his spiritual journey, from his early life
as a secular Jew to his conversion to Catholicism at the age
of sixty-seven.
Packed with riveting, never-before-told stories, The Prince
of Darkness is a hugely entertaining and equally perceptive
view of fifty years in the life of Washington and the people
who cover it.
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