a sad farewell

Tim Russert died suddenly on Friday, of an apparent heart attack. He was only 58 years old. While the pundit may say that it's no big deal to have lost another talking head, he or she would be sorely, sorely mistaken when referring to Mr. Russert. He was one of my journalistic heroes and I am terribly sad to see him taken from his family and his storied career so soon.

An hour of Meet the Press would demonstrate to anyone why he was, is and will always be so revered as a political journalist. There was no ego in his journalism, which is exceedingly rare, even with the most objective reporters. He truly took his position to another level of standards and took his privilege and mantle of interviewing (and grilling) the leaders of our nation and the world very seriously. Always asking the relevant question, yet somehow managing to convey to both the viewer and the guest that it was not him sticking it to them, but giving them a platform to be responsible and straightforward.

You'd be hard pressed to find him taking sides, but you'd also be hard pressed to find a time where he let anyone off the hook. He shot straight and each candidate or official who stepped into the ring on his program knew exactly what the agenda was for the day; he would identify the "issue" of that Sunday and then pass the responsibility of clarity and honesty to the guest, never trotting out missteps to embarrass, but rather to give the guest the opportunity to set the record straight or to own the mistake in question.

That he is so respected by the very people to whom he issued such agonizing moments of discomfort speaks volumes about who he was and how he approached his work. I will miss seeing him on his program, moderating debates and sifting through the political bog to bring to us the objective, real story behind our politics and politicians. He was a great educator.