St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown Jr. published an open letter to FOX News host Bill O'Reilly challenging him to make good on a promise to buy Brown a dinner. “I guess we were supposed to pinkie swear via satellite to make it official?” Brown wrote.

During Brown's January 25 appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly bet Brown “a dinner at Tony's," a St. Louis restaurant, that O'Reilly had not labeled Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) “a nut,” as Brown claimed. But the following day, O'Reilly admitted that he had done so on his January 19 radio show.

In his February 15 column titled “Bill, I'm doubting you'll ever pay up on our dinner bet,” Brown wrote:

As I recall, you mentioned something about dinner at Tony's. Remember? I accused you of calling people derogatory names. You haughtily declared, “Never!” You said you'd check your tapes and buy dinner if my accusations proved truthful.

The next day, you admitted I was right on your radio and cable show. That was quite big of you, I might add.

It's been nearly three weeks and I haven't heard from you or your people. I'm not totally surprised. I heard your “Radio Factor” broadcast Jan. 26 and it sounded sort of like you were “spinning” your way out of the wager.

“Thank God Brown didn't take me up on the bet,” you told your co-host, Lis Wiehl.

I guess we were supposed to pinkie swear via satellite to make it official?

Your hedging became even more apparent during your visit Jan. 27 with local station 97.1 FM.

Smash, the host, asked if you planned to live up to the bet. You said yes ... I think.

“I'll be happy to take him ...” you said, “but I'd rather take you guys; we'll get him takeout.”

The wager thing was your idea, Bill, not mine. It's a shame you're backing out though.

Here's O'Reilly's original challenge to Brown from the January 26 O'Reilly Factor:

BROWN: Well, let me -- let me explain the [talk show host Jerry] Springer comparison. You can talk about [Tom] Brokaw, you can talk about [Tim] Russert, you can talk about [Walter] Cronkite, everybody else who works for the “liberal media,” but you don't see these guys calling people “idiots” on the air. You don't see them calling them “nuts” on the air. You don't see them calling names on the air. You don't see them --

O'REILLY: And the last time I called somebody an “idiot” was?

BROWN: But you did it, Bill --

O'REILLY: When?

BROWN: -- and you know you did it.

O'REILLY: When?

BROWN: You did it last week. You did it last week on -- with Barbara Boxer. You called her a “nut.” You called the voters who voted for her “loony.” Is that not true?

O'REILLY: That's not true. I mean, what I do is I say, “there are loony left-wing people” or “this is nuts,” but I never say “She's a nut” or “This person is a loon.”

BROWN: Bill, I suggest you --

O'REILLY: Come on.

BROWN: I suggest you play your tape. You did call Barbara Boxer a “nut” last week.

O'REILLY: I -- her position is nutty on certain issues. I do not call her a “nut.” And, you know, we'll pull it [the clip], and we'll show that you're wrong.

[...]

O'REILLY: You can take Jerry Springer, and you know what you can do with it. But I want to bet you a dinner at Tony's --

BROWN: Here's is what -- here is what we have.

O'REILLY: ... a dinner at Tony's ...