A biography for Bob Beckelhasn’t been written yet.
“I came from a dysfunctional family - very dysfunctional. And my father used to find great humor in throwing me down the stairs.”
“The questions I get invariably focus on Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity. It's no secret Hannity is conservative, and O'Reilly certainly is not a liberal. Beck goes well beyond conservatism to some very strange places.”
“Politicos talk a big game about bringing jobs to devastated cities like Detroit, but rarely succeed.”
“Domestic wiretaps, government television cameras blanketing our streets, spy drones by the thousands flying over our heads. It makes you wonder if the very foundation of this great country, which is liberty, is eroding right before our eyes.”
“Most voters assume because these political 'pros' are on TV or write for national papers, they know politics. Sadly, most don't have a clue.”
“Unfortunately, some politicians think they are immune from allegations of ethics abuse.”
“As a survivor, you learn how to talk fast, cut deals, lie when you have to - perfect training to be a politician, you know?”
“There have been plenty of Republican efforts to go to the extreme scandal zone. Impeaching Bill Clinton was a classic example. Fortunately, the Senate had enough sense to acquit Clinton, and the American people were behind him in huge numbers.”
“When a black man is stopped by a cop for no apparent reason, that is covert racism. When a black woman shops in a fancy store and is followed by security guards, that is covert racism. It is more subtle than 1960s racism, but it is still racism.”
“My pop culture ended somewhere north of Elvis but not too far.”
“Disney World is exactly the wrong description of how the Secret Service should operate in public. Their jobs are not about pleasing adults and children, but rather protecting the president and the first family.”
“I don't have a problem with stepped-up surveillance as long as we follow the rule of law.”
“There is no doubt that terrorists acting under the banner of Islam have declared war on us.”
“Carmakers do not lobby to remove safety regulations on their vehicles, but the NRA constantly lobbies to keep restrictions off deadly weapons.”
“Congress votes for things the military doesn't want, and planes and other weaponry that cost a lot but don't work.”
“Iran would have become a nuclear power had President Obama not united most of the world in boycotting Iranian oil sales, which crippled Iran's economy and forced it to negotiate. Other presidents tried to stop Iran's nuclear program. They failed. Obama succeeded.”
“Putting fear into people is the principal goal of terrorists, and they have been successful.”
“Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations to include American citizens. I was 'terrorized' when I learned that the National Security Agency was intercepting information on Americans.”
“The U.S. military cannot fight Iraq's war for them.”
“I think a flat tax has merit. Anything would be better than the current tax code.”