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Interview: "Bob Bullock: God Bless Texas"

By Sam Baker, KERA Morning Edition Host

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-688129.mp3

Dallas, TX –

By time of his death in 1999, Bob Bullock had become one of the most revered - and possibly reviled - men in Texas politics. A voracious reader with a hunger for knowledge, Bullock helped usher Texas government into the modern age. But he was also a chain smoker, an alcoholic, and a manic depressive with a volatile temper who amassed power in his rise from legislator to Lt. Governor in part through intimidation. Journalists Dave McNeely and Jim Henderson have chronicled his life and career in Bob Bullock: God Bless Texas. McNeely told KERA's Sam Baker the key to Bullock lasting so long in politics despite his faults lies in how he capitalized on his 16-years as state comptroller.