I was so sad to hear the news this afternoon that Tim Russert has died. I have shared here before that I am a big fan of MSNBC political coverage and Tim Russert is, to a large degree, responsible for my loyalty to that network. Beyond his incredible enthusiasm and love for the game of politics, he just always seemed like such a nice guy. I have spent the last half hour or so listening to his colleagues struggle to maintain their composure while they talked about the loss of their friend. They have hardly mentioned what an amazing journalist he was. To a person, they have gone on and on about the kind of father he was to his son, the kind of son he was to his father, the kind of husband he was to his wife. They talked about his faith and how his faith impacted who he was as a person, both personally and professionally. One person even said “he was a great fisherman for his faith.” They have talked about the ways that he comforted and supported the people around him as they went through various challenges in their lives. They have talked about the phone calls to check on someone who was sick, the notes to follow up with a friend who was mourning….they talked over and over again about his incredible kindness and love to those with whom he shared his journey.
A testament to the things for which we will be remembered and the things that really matter when we are gone.
My prayers and thoughts are with his family and friends and colleagues this evening. I can’t believe he won’t be here to finish out this election with us. You will be missed, Mr. Russert.
I agree wholeheartedly — what a tremendous loss. I think one of the things that’s so amazing is that it wasn’t just NBC staff who were sharing their memories and their tributes; EVERY network was talking about how much of an impact he made on the political landscape, on millions of viewers, and on them.
I’ve pulled my signed copies of his books off the shelf and will be spending some of Father’s Day weekend with Tim and Big Russ…