June 15, 2008 Return To Archives Back to Home Go To Comments
Tim Russert
On Friday the world was stunned by the unexpected death of Tim Russert, the long time host of the premier Sunday morning talk show 'Meet The Press'. Mr. Russert died of a heart attack at the age of 58. I and many of you I am sure send our condolences to the entire family on what is surely a sad Father's Day.
Immediately upon his death, and throughout the weekend, many members of the media offered up their stories of Tim Russert. It is evident from those stories how much he was loved and respected, and rightly so. His influence will be felt for a long time to come, both in the media as well as the political world that he loved to investigate.
By every account, no one worked harder than Tim Russert. The guests on his show had best be prepared to answer tough questions, as Russert always did his homework. He would put up on the screen comments the guest might have made in the past that appeared to be in contradiction to their current view, and they could not escape it when he asked about it.
Mr. Russert was politically a liberal, and before he took on 'Meet The Press', he had worked for NY Senator Patrick Moynihan and NYS Govenor Mario Cuomo, both liberal members of the Democrat party. However, when you watched Russert's program, you would not necessarily know what his political preferences were. He was a rare individual who kept his personal feelings out of the interview in order to provide his audience with an authentic answer from the guest.
That impressed me most about him as I learned more of who he was outside of his public life. His sense of responsibility in keeping the separation between his personal political view and the credibility of the program was because he recognized that the American people wanted him to ask the questions of our elite politicians that they never could. He loved his country and wanted the politicians to explain to the folks what it is they were doing and why. He was tough, fair, and respectful, but by no means a pushover, and he always allowed the guest time to give an answer.
If we had politicians who had anywhere near the character of Tim Russert, our nation would be in much better shape. Tim Russert's affable Irish personality will be sorely missed. In the heat of this most crucial Presidential election, his intelligence, hard work, and dedication to our country will be irreplaceable
Tim Russert loved America, its people and its potential, and he loved politics. That he will not be here to see the finish is somehow unimaginable, but things are as they are. Many of us will have a hole in our Sunday morning routine but we can always remember how he did it. When we see the elites on any of the news shows in the future, we will always think, what would Tim Russert ask? That's because he asked those questions for us and for our country.
Tim Russert, Rest In Peace.
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