Tim Russert died today

Half_a_Person

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, a political lifer who made a TV career of his passion with unrelenting questioning of the powerful and influential, died suddenly Friday in the midst of a presidential campaign he'd covered with trademark intensity. Praise poured in from the biggest names in politics, some recalling their own meltdown moments on his hot seat.

Russert, 58, was a political operative before he was a journalist. He joined NBC a quarter century ago and ended up as the longest-tenured host of the Sunday talk show "Meet the Press."

He was an election-night fixture, with his whiteboard and scribbled figures, and was moderator for numerous political debates. He wrote two best-selling books, including the much-loved "Big Russ and Me" about his relationship with his father.

He was NBC's Washington bureau chief.

President Bush, informed of Russert's death while at dinner in Paris, saluted him as "a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it."

NBC interrupted its regular programming with news of Russert's death and continued for several hours of coverage without commercial break. The network announced that Tom Brokaw would anchor a special edition of "Meet the Press" on Sunday, dedicated to Russert.

Competitors and friends jumped in with superlative praise and sad recognition of the loss of a key voice during a historic presidential election year. Known as a family man as well, he had been named Father of the Year by parenting organizations.

Familiar NBC faces such as Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams took turns mourning his loss.

Williams called him "aggressively unfancy."

"Our hearts are broken," said Mitchell, who appeared emotional at times as she recalled her longtime colleague.

Bob Schieffer, Russert's competitor on CBS' "Face the Nation," said the two men delighted in scooping each other.

"When you slipped one past ol' Russert," he said, "you felt as though you had hit a home run off the best pitcher in the league. I just loved Tim and I will miss him more than I can say."

The cause of death was not immediately clear. The network initially said on its Web site that Russert died of a heart attack. Michael A. Newman, Russert's internist, later said that resuscitation was begun immediately and continued at Sibley Memorial Hospital, to no avail. An autopsy was pending, Newman said.

Russert, of Buffalo, N.Y., took the helm of the Sunday news show in December 1991 and turned it into the nation's most widely watched program of its type. His signature trait was an unrelenting style of questioning that made some politicians reluctant to appear, yet confident that they could claim extra credibility if they survived his grilling intact.

"I can say from experience that joining Tim on "Meet the Press" was one of the greatest tests any public official could face," said Rep. John Boehner, House Republican leader. "Regardless of party affiliation, he demanded that you be straight with him and with the American people who were watching."

Russert was also a senior vice president at NBC, and this year Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He had Buffalo's blue-collar roots, a Jesuit education, a law degree and a Democratic pedigree that came from his turn as an aide to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

Lawmakers from both parties lined up to sing his praises after his sudden death.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Russert was "the best in the business at keeping his interview subjects honest."

"There wasn't a better interviewer in television," Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential contender, told reporters in Ohio.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama's rival for the White House, hailed Russert as the "pre-eminent journalist of his generation."

Carl P. Leubsdorf, president of the Gridiron Club, an organization of journalists, said, "It was a measure of the degree to which Tim Russert was respected in the journalistic world that he was the first broadcaster elected to membership in the Gridiron Club after the rules were changed in 2004 to end our century-old restriction to print journalists."

Said longtime colleague Brokaw, the former NBC anchor: "He'll be missed as he was loved — greatly."

The network said on its Web site that Russert had been recording voiceovers for this Sunday's "Meet The Press" when he was stricken.

He had dozens of honorary college degrees, and numerous professional awards.

He won an Emmy for his role in the coverage of President Ronald Reagan's funeral in 2004.

He was married to Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine. The couple had one son, Luke.
 
very sad. everyone on msnbc is just barely keeping it together talking about him. he seemed like a very sweet man. :(
 
very sad. everyone on msnbc is just barely keeping it together talking about him. he seemed like a very sweet man. :(

So very sudden and sad... 58 is too young. My step Dad passed at 56. It used to seem old to me... not anymore. RIP, Tim - the journalism world is a better place for having you in it. My condolences to the family and the network staff. This is a big blow, has one of those ripple effects -a lot of people feel the loss. :(
 
him and his dad "big russ" were too cute together,its a horrible loss anytime but to have happen on father's day weekend makes it even sadder.

his book "big russ and me " was a really touching book.

meet the press will never be the same again.
:(:tears:
 
very sad. everyone on msnbc is just barely keeping it together talking about him. he seemed like a very sweet man. :(

That nutter Keith Olbermann wondered tonight how we can even have this presidential election without Tim. Keith, I don't think we need to call off the election just cuz some NBC dude died. Most of us don't even watch NBC News, a network that employs insane people like you. And I doubt Tim was planning to take Obama to task for his vote to override the veto of the absolutely evil and currupt new Farm Bill that sticks it to the American taxpayer while the economy's down (*)(and which McCain courageously voted against), so what difference does it make?

(* So much for Obama siding with people over profits. But these shills for him don't care about the hypocrisy.)
 
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That nutter Keith Olbermann wondered tonight how we can even have this presidential election without Tim. Keith, I don't think we need to call off the election just cuz some NBC dude died. Most of us don't even watch NBC News, a network that employs insane people like you. And I doubt Tim was planning to take Obama to task for his vote to override the veto of the absolutely evil and currupt new Farm Bill that sticks it to the American taxpayer while the economy's down (*)(and which McCain courageously voted against), so what difference does it make?

(* So much for Obama siding with people over profits. But these shills for him don't care about the hypocrisy.)

dont call my Keith names!!!!

theo, you're a bad bad man. :mad:
 
That nutter Keith Olbermann wondered tonight how we can even have this presidential election without Tim. Keith, I don't think we need to call off the election just cuz some NBC dude died. Most of us don't even watch NBC News, a network that employs insane people like you. And I doubt Tim was planning to take Obama to task for his vote to override the veto of the absolutely evil and currupt new Farm Bill that sticks it to the American taxpayer while the economy's down (*)(and which McCain courageously voted against), so what difference does it make?

(* So much for Obama siding with people over profits. But these shills for him don't care about the hypocrisy.)

This is not a thread for political rants. Show some respect. Create your own thread if you must. Tim was one of the few reasons to watch the news these days. Now he is gone, and he will be missed.


:(
 
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