Beckel and Thomas Picked for 'USA Today' Convention Team

By: Joe Strupp Four years after its plan to use outspoken commentators Michael Moore and Ann Coulter to write about life at the presidential conventions misfired, USA Today is taking a safer route with Democratic strategist Bob Beckel and conservative columnist Cal Thomas taking those roles.

Beckel and Thomas, who currently write a joint commentary every other Thursday for the Gannett Co. flagship paper, plan to write daily commentaries at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, according to Brian Gallagher, USA Today's editor of the editorial page.

"We balance our commentary right and left and this is Beckel and Thomas having a conversation," Gallagher said about the current bi-weekly approach that the pair have done for three years. "We thought that that would be an interesting format to use during the conventions. They will try to take each day's developments and get beyond the show."

Unlike the 2004 approach, in which the liberal Moore was set to write from the Republican convention in New York and the conservative Coulter would report from the Democratic convention in Boston, Thomas and Beckel will comment on events at both conventions.

Thomas, a regular syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services, welcomed the opportunity: "We will be sort of flies on the wall at the conventions. Writing about frustrations, joys, and some of the goofy stuff."

Thomas admits, "I will be like a fish out of water at the Democrats. But I don?t believe the Democrats are the enemy, I believe the Taliban are the enemy." Asked about the contrast to the 2004 approach, Thomas says. "We are much different, Bob and I actually like each other."

Beckel agreed, stating: "I think this will be substance, but not shrill and not produced for the purpose of being shrill." He adds, "It is more of an inside look at the conventions, you will have a better chance of telling people what both parties are trying to get out of the conventions."

The Democratic National Convention is set for Aug. 25-28 in Denver, Colo., while the Republican gathering will occur Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, Minn.

The 2004 approach originally had Coulter writing about the Democratic events and Moore following at the GOP convention. But when USA Today declined to run Coulter's first column (after asking for edits), she complained and dropped out of the arrangement, a move the sparked a flurry of protest from conservative factions.

Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg eventually replaced Coulter and wrote columns about each day of the Democratic confab. Later, when Moore appeared at the Republican convention, he was initially barred from entering the arena and later booed after delegates and other Republican attendees spotted him in the crowd.

"The idea was to have the liberal at the Republican convention and the conservative at the Democratic convention to provide an alternative to the commercial of the conventions," Gallagher recalls. "I think the players were just the wrong people. It just didn?t work.

"This time we have a liberal and a conservative in a feature where they are having a conversation with each other," he added.