Tim Russert, the NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and moderator of Meet the Press died today at the age of 58 from a heart attack.
I was driving when I got the news in a text from a good friend who knows about my borderline obsession with Mr. Russert.
I'm watching MSNBC right now, which obviously has been covering this story since Tom Brokaw broke it after 3PM. Mr. Brokaw, Brian Williams, Andrea Mitchell, Keith Olbermann and so many others have been focusing minimally on his professional and public accomplishments and almost entirely on the work ethic and demeanor of a true gentleman.
A horribly ironic part of this tragedy is that Father's Day is just two days from now, and his utter devotion to his son as well as to his father Big Russ was a fundamental part of his character.
This obviously puts a huge damper on this year's biggest news story, one to which he was all over constantly. The "Tim Russert Primary" even before Iowa was genius as he interviewed each and every presidential candidate and even tripped up a few of them. Sunday mornings and Tuesday nights since January were his times to shine. Each primary night I would come home from school and wait to fully form my opinions of what happened until Mr. Russert invariably dropped a bomb of wisdom.
I don't think I can do my feelings about him any more justice by writing right now, so I'll go back to zoning out in front of MSNBC. Barbara Walters just said that while this is a big loss for the journalism world who knew him personally, Americans across the country would be saddened as well.
A few months ago, as I was struggling with selecting a "political view" on Facebook because I've grown dissatisfied with the Republican Party and I don't think I could ever be a Democrat, I just typed in "Tim Russert." That name conveys patriotism, trustworthiness, and dedication. The perfect political view for anyone.
To a Catholic raised in the Jesuit tradition: Rest well in Heaven, sir.
P.S. I just realized in my shocked state that this is now the second huge loss in television journalism since the last presidential election cycle. On November 4th, I'll need whatever satelitte carries the Heaven News Channel, to watch Peter Jennings and Tim Russert cover election night.
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1 comment:
Oh man, you mentioned Peter Jennings...I had watched him ever since I was a little kid, and when he died it felt like I was losing part of my childhood. He had taught me to love the news. The night they announced his death, I remember waking up my little sister and running down the hall to watch the coverage.
Yesterday was a little like that - it made me think of all the times I had enjoyed watching Russert, on MTP and election coverage and, yes, Imus. During the 2004 election, I had to create posters for an Election Night viewing party in our dorm, so I created one with a picture of Tim and the words "Tim Russert Dance Party." I was trying to be funny, but most people didn't get the reference and thought it was weird...:-)
Sorry for being depressing and rambling a bit, but it brought back a lot of memories. And what will we do without these men during the election season?
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