Is Robert Novak drunk or senile?

I really can't figure it out. He's not quite that old, but he seems like he's always slurring and mumbling. It's somewhat amusing to watch -- and I like watching Begala rip him apart.

Well... maybe a bit drunk, too.

maybe he is preoccupied about the whole Valerie Plame thing.

That old bastard knows exactly what he is doing. Just watch him come out of this mess smelling like a rose.

I vote "both."

and probably exhausted by now, defending Bush all the time.

It appears Novak is doing an acting job to look out of date. Hal Holbrook at 80 years old hasn't lost a step and is still doing Mark Twain.

My thinking is he is bored talking.He has made a mint on saying things and to keep saying the same thing is dull.

at least he didn't 4 years ago when one of his caps came off on his central incisor and he went on Capital Gang anyway. The director must really hate him because he kept tight shots of his ugly puss on the screen for excess amounts of time, showing the tooth preparation. I called my wife in to witness it so there'd be independent confirmation of a 'sighting'. Then I went back to throwing things at the set.

Does anyone else think he might have a palsy?

He reminds me of a handful of scattered people I've met in the past who kinda stammer and slur their words slightly and roll their head down toward their chests and then glance upward at you from there...

Yes! Quasimodo! That's it!

technically, I can't diagnose without an examination and history.

That being said, I'll do what the Administration does: I'll just talk out of my hat and make it up as I go along...

What we're seeing these days, referring to no one in particular, is an aging process in Caucasian males who are prone to excess - excess drinking, eating, and 'carousing'. This is not a pretty sight. I do believe that many of these men have liver disease secondary to alcohol consumption, Parkinson's disease, 'early' Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease which alters the whole body posture and facial 'mask' of the individual.
In the old days, these folk would appear once in a while on grainy TV sets for just a minute or two and you more listened than watched...I mean, who could look at Eric Sevareid's face, (once again!) particularly those lower teeth of his? But now, these people are on for hours every day and they are like family inasmuch as you are aware of every nuance of change in their physical condition.

Except you wouldn't let these people IN your family.

I saw him once on "Crossfire" where one of his big false buck teeth actually partially came loose, pointing straight out. It was hiliarous... if you're a Democrat, that is.

If Novak is senile, neither he nor I will ever know about it, since neither of us listens to what he says. I think he is a traitor.

Actually though, in Novak's defense, I have to say that I also mute Tucker Carlson's long-winded, pointlessly-time-measured diatribes.

And what on earth is the point of showing that ticking-timer on that show? Nobody pays any attention to it. There is hardly any real debate, just shouting and trying to dominate the microphone.

Out of that half-hour show, if you count the muted advertisements, the volume is turned off on my TV, about 25 out of the program's 30 minutes.

Years ago, Mike Kinsley shut Novak up with the greatest statement I've ever heard on that ridiculous show:

"Bob, in case you didn't know, sneering is not an argument."

I practically stood up and cheered.

Mike Kinsley was the only good thing about Crossfire back then. It's deteriorated immensely since he left.

Just wondering.

and stuffed with his own importance.

droopy lids; slurring words. He seems mentally alert, but sick in some way, palid and very compromised.

Hangover from hell would fit except I see you noticed something about this yesterday.

Maybe his collective crimes against humanity are staryting to take a toll on his health. But then again, he has always been among the undead souless vampires roaming the earth for eternity.

His voice was different, a higher pitch...not his normal self.

Many times I have witnessed Novakula obviously drunk during a broadcast. I've worked in nightclubs for over 30 years observing the effects of alcohol and drugs, in combination, on many types of people of all ages. He definately shows signs of being drunk and I would guess, he adds some meds to the cocktail.

:shrug: