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Cranky Novak Rips Greenspan ‘As A Democrat,’ Calls Mukasey ‘Totally Unqualified’

This weekend on Bloomberg Television, right-wing pundit Robert Novak ripped former Fed chief Alan Greenspan because he criticizes Bush’s economic policies while hailing those of President Clinton. Novak said that Greenspan revealed himself “as a Democrat”:

[Greenspan] suddenly emerges from the sea, naked like Venus, as a Democrat. He loves Bill Clinton, he loves tax increases, he’s dismissive of Ronald Reagan as an amiable putz, he detests the Bushes.

Greenspan has identified his roots as that of a Goldwater Republican, and he has said he will vote for the Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential elections. Greenspan hasn’t emerged as a progressive, but rather has revealed the truth about the failure of conservative economic theories.

Later in the show, Novak went on to criticize President Bush’s selection of Judge Michael Mukasey, arguing, “He’s totally unqualified to be Attorney General. He has no administration experience.” Novak is the latest in a long line of right-wing voices who has complained of the pick.

Novak said a better choice would have been former Solicitor General Ted Olson, because he “knows where the bodies are buried” at the Justice Department:

[Mukasey] is going into a zoo at the Justice Department. It is chaos — he has no idea what to do there. They have vacancies there, staff. You need someone who knows where the bodies are buried, like Ted Olson.

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59 Responses to “Cranky Novak Rips Greenspan ‘As A Democrat,’ Calls Mukasey ‘Totally Unqualified’”

  1. Sharon Says:

    Novack is a miserable putz...No common sence person would listen to him..


  2. tombaker Says:

    Right, Bob - Keeping those skeletons packed into that closet is job #1 - we wouldn't want to embarrass the administration by having the truth come out, would we.

    apparatchik. hack. bootlick.


  3. Peter C Says:

    This is very instructive. So, Alan Greenspan is now a Democrat because he criticizes George Bush, and thus he is to be dismissed??? We need Ted Olson as attorney general because he knows where the bodies are buried, and presumably won't reveal them???

    Take a close look; this is what being a Republican is all about. In all cases, they choose party over country.


  4. Starve-A-Bush_Feed-A-Beaver Says:

    "[Greenspan] suddenly emerges from the sea, naked like Venus, as a Democrat."

    And Novakula of the Living Dead suddenly emerges from the crypt, oozing a trail of pustulence and putrefaction behind him, as an arm and a leg fall off from rot.


  5. alphainfinityomega Says:

    These people, the 'right', are like piranha on their own kind if one of them happens to stumble on to the truth.

    ∞


  6. Sean Says:

    Remember when being called a Democrat wasn't an insult? It was only a few years ago... around the same time when being a Republican meant "no nation building".

    More sadness. Our language has become hijacked. Perhaps we hijacked it from ourselves.

    ~Sean


  7. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Short translation of Novak's comments...

    Waaaahhhh!!! Waaaahhhh!!! Waaahhhh!!!

    I'm melting... I'm melting...


  8. Clyde the Ripper Says:

    "[Greenspan] suddenly emerges from the sea, naked like Venus, as a Democrat. He loves Bill Clinton, he loves tax increases, he’s dismissive of Ronald Reagan as an amiable putz, he detests the Bushes."

    Other than the sight of Greenspan in his altogether I find that the description depicts him as a very astute individual. I would offer one slight modification, however, in view of the facts of a post yesterday concerning the Forbes 500 billionaires. The tax increases should be limited to the named individuals as they won't miss it and they stole it from the rest of us anyway given help from the bushco.


  9. normalasf Says:

    "He’s totally unqualified to be Attorney General"

    Robert Novak is totally unqualified to be given any public speaking forum. How big of a traitor do you have to be before the corporate media stops giving you a platform?


  10. katy Says:

    "democrat" ... a four-letter-word...

    i wonder what this slug thought of gonzo's nomination to AG?
    ...


  11. barfly Says:

    "Republicans in Congress were no better, according to Greenspan, as they ``seemed readily inclined to loosen the federal purse strings any time it might help add a few more seats to the Republican majority,'' he wrote. "

    If Greenspan were truly honest, he would admit that it wasn't merely conservatives who failed to act in conservative ways, but that conservatism itself is a sham, as it fails to take basic human nature into account. Reagan was one of the most free-spending republican presidents in history - and it couldn't be blamed on war. Every time a "conservative" reigns, spending goes though the roof. There are literally no "conservative principles" that haven't been tossed out for political expedience.

    Conservatism might be a good intellectual exercise in the airy world of academia, but it fails horribly whenever put to the test in the "real" world.


  12. cookie jill Says:

    Novak is entirely unqualified to be a "journalist."


  13. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    i wonder what this slug thought of gonzo’s nomination to AG?
    …

    Comment by katy — September 22, 2007 @ 1:22 pm

    BTW, katy... when I called ya Ms. Smartypants the other day? I was kiddin' ya. The comment you made was actually quite astute and you were 100% correct. (Ya did notice the little smily face after my comment, didn't ya?)


  14. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Novak is entirely unqualified to be a “journalist.”

    Comment by cookie jill — September 22, 2007 @ 1:28 pm
    Recommend (0) | Report Abuse

    Not only is Noval unqualified to be a "journalist", he's unqualified to be DESCRIBED as a "journalist".


  15. katy Says:

    (Ya did notice the little smily face after my comment, didn’t ya?)
    Comment by The Republic of Stupidity — September 22, 2007 @ 1:28 pm

    thank you...
    yes, i knew you were kidding...
    did you see that i stuck out my virtual tongue at you?
    :-P


  16. Candyce Says:

    Novak is a traitor to his country, and to his profession.


  17. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    did you see that i stuck out my virtual tongue at you?
    :-P

    Comment by katy — September 22, 2007 @ 1:32 pm

    Yeah... **sound of raspberries** :-D!!!


  18. marlow Says:

    "Greenspan revealed himself as a democrat"? Novak revealed himself as a traitorous hack, revealing the identity of a covert agent. Funny how in bushworld he can still show his face on the screen. You sold out the nation to further a cheap political vendetta bob, the opinion of a traitor means nothing, and your opinion should be coming from a prison cell.


  19. katy Says:

    some may have noticed my concern whether nofacts' picture was still hanging in the great hall of the ILLINI UNION, at UIUC...
    i haven't been there to see for myself, but a couple of weeks ago,
    i was doing some errands in champaign and picked up a copy of the
    free DAILY ILLINI newspaper while at lunch... unfortunately, i read that
    this guy was included on a full page celebration of the DI HALL OF FAME...
    he was a member back when a student there...
    shame...


  20. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    and your opinion should be coming from a prison cell.

    Comment by marlow — September 22, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
    Recommend (0) | Report Abuse

    As it is, it's coming from his rear end...


  21. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    unfortunately, i read that
    this guy was included on a full page celebration of the DI HALL OF FAME…
    he was a member back when a student there…
    shame…

    When was he a student? 1880's???


  22. AustinSF Says:

    Greenspan is NO Democrat and we'd never want him - period. This "sudden" conversion by him to attack his Master is only a weak effort to save his own ass when the market tanks. Remember - all Republicans realize the utter mess they have created by empowering BushCo. They know the clever and smart thing to do now is to jump ship - pretend they had nothing to do it and attack BushCo themselves . Unfortunateyl for them WE will never let them forget. GOP Liars like - Novak - Greenspan - Powell etc... etc.... are the first of a long list of powerful BushCo Rats that will turn on "W". This will happen increasingly day-in day-out until next November and then for the next decade or more until all they all come clean. They are the ones responsible for this administration and always will be. BushCo is the GOP. Repeat they are one in the same. Instead of them using a maginifying glass like Greenspan to attack their own now I suggest they take a good look in the mirror to see the crooked deceptive liars that we see. We'll be talking about "W" BushCo, Cheney and the rest of the worst ever to govern this country all the days of our lives. That sucks huh? I hate it already. Shame America Shame.


  23. barfly Says:

    "[Mukasey] is going into a zoo at the Justice Department. It is chaos — he has no idea what to do there. They have vacancies there, staff. You need someone who knows where the bodies are buried, like Ted Olson."

    Is he going to dig his wife up? That was an incredibly hubristic statement from Novak, given that Olsen's wife died on 9/11. But then, no one's ever confused Novak with Miss Manners.


  24. ShamRockNRoll Says:

    If that traitor Bob Novak doesn't like something, odds are it is good for America.


  25. tombaker Says:

    OT, I know, but we never have open threads 'round here. New OH '08 pres matchups poll:

    http://www.buzzflash.net/story.php?id=25794

    Granted, looks good for Dems no matter what, but what in the living hell retards OH voters so deeply and perversely that they'd vote Thompson at all? vs. ANYONE??

    I actually saw a "Fred '08" sticker on a shitty old suv just the other day, here in blue, blue western WA. WTF?? Surely rightygopers can find someone waaayyy better qualified than he to rally around. How about we let OH trade places with Louisiana, so they can live in a neighborhood that's more inline with their "culture". OH did fight on the Union side in the Civil War, didn't they?

    barfly - dark humor @24...makes Novak even creepier - and that's waaayyy f'in creepy.


  26. nellre Says:

    Divided we fall... and these guys keep trying to make us that way. It's them vs us, democrats vs republicans, Christians vs non-Christians.
    It's so transparent that they are trying to manipulate the foolish it's embarrassing...and I think they'll live to regret it.


  27. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    But then, no one’s ever confused Novak with Miss Manners.

    Comment by barfly — September 22, 2007 @ 2:03 pm
    Recommend (0) | Report Abuse

    No one has ever confused Novak w/ any living creature...


  28. katy Says:

    tombaker - maybe this is why:

    Fred Thompson Wows 'Em At the NRA Convention
    National Review Online - 3 hours ago
    Going in, Rudy Giuliani was going to have a tall order to get a warm welcome from the NRA. Fred Thompson just made that harder by going up on the stage and giving a just about flawless performance.

    from the googlenews page...
    i won't go to the link... you can yourself, if you want...
    and consider that source...
    .


  29. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    and consider that source…
    .

    Comment by katy — September 22, 2007 @ 2:39 pm

    Summer's over. Rudi should have worn the Navy blue wool number w/ a string of pearls. More dignified, as befits a man running for POTUS.


  30. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Perhaps Novak would find Torquemada an acceptable choice. They're both roughly the same age. They've both been dead for quite a while. They might even know each other from a previous job assignment.


  31. Xisithrus Says:

    Seems to me if you are correct in your assumptions about the current administration your labeled a Democrat.

    Way to go Greenspan!


  32. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    Greenspan] suddenly emerges from the sea, naked like Venus, as a Democrat. He loves Bill Clinton, he loves tax increases, he’s dismissive of Ronald Reagan as an amiable putz, he detests the Bushes.

    What is it w/ Cons/GOOPers these days? Now that their political careers are sinking like rocks, are they all tryin' out as stand-up comics?


  33. JosephW Says:

    So, Novak thinks that Mukasey is "totally unqualified". Did nobody inform him that being "qualified" is not now, and has never been, important to the Bush Administration? For crying out loud, Dubya himself isn't "qualified" to be President, yet he's in the White House. (Don't forget--in 2000, it seemed more important to the voters which candidate would be the guy you'd "want to have a beer with".)
    As to the Greenspan description, yeah, Bob, Greenspan--the same guy who was a big tax cut cheerleader for the Bushies--is a Democrat because he simply wants to speak the truth. (Of course, given the amount of scorn that Greenspan's faced given his connection with the "housing bubble" and the near-collapse of the subprime lending markets, it should prove wholeheartedly that he's as much a Republican as George W Bush. Greenspan seemed to finally see the problems in the housing market AFTER his time at the Fed. Bush will finally see the troubles in Iraq about two years after leaving the White House, and will likely speak out if a Democrat wins in 2008--while all his current supporters, including the Congress Critters, will conveniently forget who actually caused the real troubles. I can foresee the Bush speeches laying the blame on the Democrats in Congress, his presumably Democratic successor, and, of course, al-Qaeda's ties to Saddam while making himself out as the "Man Who Saved Civilization" despite all his enemies' best efforts. Of course, those speeches will net the Shrub a first-year annual income greater than his 8 years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue combined.)


  34. Marie Says:

    The cranky and petulant gnome of the news media should be taken home and put to bed.
    He has outlived his usefulness as a critic and has become irrelevant.


  35. Doc Rock Says:

    Novak is an unprincipled hack of lower than average intellect who has made a lucrative career, first with Rowland Evans, and later alone, as a panderer to the money on the right. Why does anyone dignify his opinions by giving air to them?


  36. dixie blood Says:

    This is not the first time G'span has been vilified by the reich-wing Repugnicsums. The first time was when he finally admitted that his worshipping at the knee of Ayn Rand (the goddess of unchecked Crony Capitalism) was completely bankrupt!

    In July 2002 Greenspan brought on the wrath of Repugniscums everywhere when he admitted that the free market (without government oversite) could no longer regulate itself!!

    The Repugniscums revolted. This was one of their Ayn Rand guys, a cult member who visited her apartment in Manhattan. He basically said that she's wrong. And therefore the Repugniscum free-market base was wrong and duped!!!

    I say Ayn Rand was full of sh!t!! A moron to the core!!

    So is Novak! The Chief Moron of the USA!!!


  37. dixie blood Says:

    Backfill:

    The reason G'span said these things in 2002 is because of the meltdown of Enron! GW Botch's favorite fund raising company!! I guess "Kenny Boy" died for the sins of other Repugniscums.

    Enron put one over on the state of California, ph*cking with energy rates to rape users, and ripped off everyone in this country to the tune of a massive meltdown!!

    IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH (POST 2002 [his conversion]) THEN LISTEN TO G'SPAN CLOSER THAN EVER!!!

    The more the Repugniscums hate him the closer to the truth he seems to be.


  38. andy phx Says:

    Novak is such a dick! You wouldn't know they eat their own by the way they've been acting lately. They don't give a rip who it is: if you cross them they'll trash you. Just look at the graveyard of generals that got sick of towing the bush line.


  39. neoconsrscum Says:

    And this senile old idiot is still istened to by,...........?


  40. Gregor Samsa Says:

    Once again, we have confirmed what we already knew: Novak is a shill for the Bush administration.

    Since when is this sorry excuse of a human being concerned for anyone's qualifications? Was Alberto Gonzales qualified? Michael Brown? David Safavian? Julie Myers? Paul Bremer? Thomas Foley?

    Not one of these hacks was remotely qualified (meaning skilled enough to get the job done in an efficient manner), and yet, there they were, in cushy government jobs, getting a nice paycheck for essentially doing nothing but being Bush cronies.

    Did Novak say anything? Of course not. Unlike Greenspan, these hacks never criticised the Bush administration.

    Robert Novak, yet another Bush shill and hack.


  41. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    SO WHAT THE HELL WOULD SOMEONE HAVE TO DO TO GET KICKED OUT OF THE CLUB?

    Comment by spit take — September 22, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
    Recommend (1) | Report Abuse

    Get caught in a bathroom stall w/ Larry Craig? Excuse me, that's the Honorable Lawrence Craig, Sen-Idaho... where are my manners?


  42. Gregor Samsa Says:

    Oh, and calling Novak a "pundit" is a gross misuse of the English language. Pundit means "learned person".

    I propose we call Novak what he actually is: A hack, a shill, a prevaricator,an obfuscator, a spreader of lies and half-truths.


  43. Gregor Samsa Says:

    "Right-wing pundit" - Let's file that under "o" for "oxymoron".


  44. Veritas Says:

    I fail to understand why Robert Novak is still getting airtime after being proud of "outing" a covert CIA agent (Valerie Plame). His cavalier attitude to this act of treason is astounding and he's suffered a huge loss of credibility after being involved in that scheme. Personally, I find him rather disgusting - not only to look at and listen to but to continuously be exposed to his hard, callous, heartless blabber. This guy definitely needs to be retired from public view. He's a personal disgrace.


  45. sluggo Says:

    Novak illustrates the current "fad" of valuing the opinion of "political commentators" over experts. Does Novak have the legal or economic credential that would give his opinion on the Attorney General and Greenspan any credibility?

    This kind of thing is what our modern "news service" has become; solicitation of opinions whether from qualified people or not. As long as you can make a "strong" and "controversial" statement, whether it makes and sense or not, then you will be put on the news.


  46. Damien Says:

    By all means, follow Novak's sage advice. With his help, the GOP won't win an election for the next 40 years.


  47. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    ...then you will be put on the news.

    Comment by sluggo — September 22, 2007 @ 5:43 pm

    Like endocrinolgists talking about climate, or Billy O'Reilly talking about ANYTHING?


  48. Above the Clouds Says:

    Novak to anyone who might listen: "We are the GOP and we have nothing for you."


  49. grover nerdkissed Says:

    this is fun to watch!
    so is Andra Mitchell "fair game" now?

    HA! she thought by keeping her mouth shut during Valerie Plame, she'd be safe!


  50. Jeremy Henderson Says:

    Ahhh, Novak, still defending his well-deserved title as "Douchebag of Liberty" I see.

    As for Greenspan, I'd take him and other former members of the Bushco a lot more seriously if their criticisms of the former master didn't come right when they were launching a book tour.


  51. enja Says:

    Good ol' Douche bag as Jon Stewart call him.


  52. Bodhittsatva Says:

    Navakula needs more blood.
    Give me blood.


  53. bilbobaggins Says:

    Novak actually thinks that anyone cares what he thinks? Man, he is delusional.


  54. pointus Says:

    Listening to Greenspan the other day on NPR, I was astounded to hear him defend the tax cuts by saying that the Clinton budget surplus was "dangerous" because with all that extra money, we would have paid off the national debt by 2006, then all the excess would have gone into the stock market, giving the government too much control over the markets! (As if having the central bank controlling the government is preferable...)
    First of all (and I wish Terry Gross had grilled him on this), after paying off the national debt, rather than "invest the surplus in the market", perhaps we as a nation would have substantially upgraded our infrastructure: a national system of high-speed passenger rail, universal health care, freedom from foreign energy sources, etc. Of course, thanks to the supremely fatal bush v. gore decision, we'll never know. Bush has set this nation on a course of utter ruin.
    Anyway,


  55. Perry logan Says:

    When traitors start calling one another Democrats, you know the Republican Party is through.


  56. Gregor Samsa Says:

    So, for the Bush cultists and loyalists, anyone who dares criticise their father figure is a Democrat? (and I must assume they use that word as an insult). It's almost funny how any criticism is dismissed as being from a "Democrat" without ever bothering to address any specifics.


  57. Namtillaku Says:

    Novak, a right-wing lackey, is totally out of touch and should simply be dismissed out of hand.


  58. PaulD Says:

    Greenspan a Democrat? Hardly. Novak just doesn't want to accept Greenspan's comment and criticism. Lets pass these clips along, gang - having Alan come down so definitively on these issues really helps make our case. Of course, we knew all along that the spending was out of control and that oil was a factor...

    Greenspan: Iraq War Largely About OIL
    http://beta.redlasso.com/Community/ClipPlayer.aspx?i=7c626177-7df1-4aab-820d-30147db847b3

    Greenspan: Criticizing The Bush Economy
    http://beta.redlasso.com/Community/ClipPlayer.aspx?i=364a5dec-8930-4e23-8ae4-f35109f31ee1


  59. Leftside Annie Says:

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

    Oh, that was good. ;o)



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