As often happens among the political class in Washington, we met on television debating each other. I liked him immediately, despite our political and even religious differences.

Bob Beckel and I became friends and eventually more than friends. Twenty years ago, after debating a long-forgotten subject on Fox News Channel, we came back to the green room where I noticed a streak of sadness in his face. “Are you OK, Bob?” I asked. In what he would later describe as a rare moment of transparency, he said, “No, I’m not,” and began to cry. I had never seen him like this. He told me his personal life had fallen apart and he was receiving death threats after being accused of trying to flip electors to Al Gore following the 2000 presidential contest. He had denied the accusation.

Recommended for you

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ new book “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Future of the United States” (HarperCollins/Zondervan).

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Please log in, or sign up for a new, free account to read or post comments.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.