Alan Colmes was one of my favorite opinion makers on television and radio...and he passed away on Thursday from lymphoma at the age of 66. Whenever he was a guest on a FoxNews Channel show, I would always look forward to hearing his take on the topic being discussed. And seeing how Fox, despite its ridiculous claims to "fair and balanced" journalism, was very biased in favor of the Republican Party's talking points, it was fun to see Colmes consistently stand apart from everyone else...not necessarily to espouse a liberal/leftist agenda, but rather to inject some healthy, blunt realism into the on-air discussions. For many years he had cohosted the Hannity and Colmes show, and later had his own talk show on Fox News Radio that I used to be able to pick up on a weak local AM station here in Gainesville. On that show he would interview guests from all political persuasions, always treating them with professional dignity while standing true to his own beliefs. Because Colmes was employed by Fox and had many conservative friends there, some on the political left criticized him as if he were some kind of traitor to their cause. That's a shame...I think each of us has our own set of beliefs and the right to choose whatever form of venue in which to express them, and none of us owe allegiance to others who arrogantly claim to have an inside track to legitimacy on any side of the political debate...
Alan Colmes was a blessing to us while he was here...I'll miss him.
