<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Tim Russert reported dead at 58 by The Associated Press Friday June 13, 2008, 3:43 PM WASHINGTON -- NBC's Tim Russert has died of an apparent heart attack, his family told The New York Times today. He was 58. Russert, moderator of "Meet the Press," reportedly died at NBC offices here.</div> Link Oh my god...RIP if this is true.
[video=youtube;CqWv3waT0mE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqWv3waT0mE[/video] Tom Brokaw looks like he's about to cry. Keith Olbermann too. They all look shellshocked. My condolences to the Russert family and everyone at NBC News that knew him.
I never heard anybody say they didn't like him. I can't name one other journalist who was so widely known, political or otherwise, that both the most uninformed viewer and the most grizzled Washington insider held in such high regard. I always appreciated how he took complicated issues and made them relatable to everyone without dumbing things down or oversimplifying. When Americans think of presidential elections and political reporting in general, I think this is the first face they think of.
In reflecting on this, I can't help but be reminded that this November when everyone will be watching the returns come in, we're not going to have with us this year two absolute giants. Peter Jennings and Tim Russert. We lost them both since the '04 election, and I think I can speak for everyone who is a news and politics junkie, that it won't be the same without them. They were so professional, so knowledgable, and so personable. They could relate to the viewer and explain everything that's so complicated with ease. They were the best at their profession, and there's not going to be another Peter Jennings or another Tim Russert.
I was thoroughly shocked to hear the news. It was so sudden and unexpected; the guy was only 58 and probably had another 20 years on the public stage. I cannot begin to estimate the hours I've spent watching him. I've religiously watched Meet the Press since before he took over the show, and countless hours on MSNBC. MSNBC is showing a day long eulogy for him, and I don't think they've run a single commercial since the news broke. Or any other news, really, for that matter. He seemed like a very happy man, every time I saw him, and he always had a twinkle in his eye and a great smile.
Have to agree with Denny, MSNBC is the channel I watch the most for political coverage (I do watch Fox though, for the record, and a decent amount of time too) and Russert always seemed like a very polite guy who could screw you nonchalantly in an interview if you weren't bringing it. He'll be missed and he was a great host/journalist.
I was on CNN.com, and clicked on the story about McCain saying to leave their wives out of it on the ticker, and then the Russert story was at the top of the ticker. I was like...Russert, no...he's too young, can't be true. Quickly turned on MSNBC, and just thought "damn". I pretty much exclusively watch MSNBC. I'll flip on Fox News occasionally mid day if the MSNBC news stagnates on the same topic, and I need a change. It wasn't until Tim Russert said, "We now know who the Democratic nominee is going to be, and no one's going to dispute" that the press began to act like Obama was the nominee. He was obviously a man of great respect from his peers, as seen by MSNBC going like 4 or 5 hours without a commercial for his eulogy...and are only having commercials now like every 30 minutes. Fox News and CNN also have devoted a lot of time to Russert.
