By Staff
An unusually large outpouring at the shocking passing of Tim Russert, 58, in his prime speaks not only to his capabilities as one of the best broadcast journalists of his generation, but also to his humanity.
NBC News' Washington bureau chief collapsed and died of a heart attack in his Washington newsroom on Friday, June 13.
He could at the same time be charming and gregarious and a skilled political analyst and relentless questioner.
He became famous for penetrating interviews on the Sunday morning talk show "Meet the Press" – a venerable program he hosted longer than anyone, since Dec. 8, 1991.
The fact he was also a best-selling author whose books included a tribute to his father, "Big Russ and Me," made it more painful that his loss coincided with Father's Day.
Russert had just returned from a vacation to Italy with his wife of 25 years, Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth, and their son Luke, who just graduated from Boston College.
Colleagues recalled he was often first to call them upon the birth of a new baby and visited their sick children in the hospital.
"It is a tough day," CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer, moderator of "Face the Nation," said. "Nothing pleased either of us more than to scoop the other. When you got one past old Russert, you felt like you had hit a home run off the best pitcher in the league."
His sudden death briefly eclipsed the presidential election Russert described as "my Super Bowl." Politicians of all political persuasions briefly set aside their differences. "America lost a really fine citizen yesterday when Tim Russert passed away," President Bush said from Paris. "I've had the privilege of being interviewed by Tim Russert. I found him to be a hard-working, thorough and decent man. Tim Russert loved his country, he loved his family and he loved his job a lot. We're going to miss him."
"There wasn't a better interviewer in television," Barack Obama said, "not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics and he was also one of the finest men I knew. I am grief-stricken with the loss." John McCain described himself as "very saddened" and joked that "Meet the Press" interviews reminded him of interrogations in a Vietnamese POW camp, declaring Russert the "pre-eminent political journalist of his generation."
Our congressman, Fred Upton of St. Joseph, recalled meeting Russert on several occasions, including his 1996 visit to the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan.
"Tim Russert was simply the best," Upton said. "The consummate journalist, unparallel in his preparation and knowledge, whose passion for reporting insured all of his guests answered the tough questions. The American public was better for it. He was respected by everyone, a true giant who transcended politics and journalism. He was, above all, fair and his passion and love for his family and his beloved Buffalo Bills made him one of us. He was, above all, a proud husband, father and son. It is especially sad that we lose him on Father's Day weekend. Sunday mornings will never be the same."
From the other side of the aisle, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., agreed. "Tim was one of the outstanding journalists of this generation. He had a well-earned reputation for integrity and fairness. I can personally attest to that. For those of us who had the privilege of appearing on Meet the Press, Sunday mornings will never be the same," Levin echoed Upton.
Such was his reputation for impartiality that when Russert declared Obama sealed the Democratic presidential nomination May 6 by Hillary Clinton failing to deliver a knockout in Indiana and North Carolina, it became a news event in itself.
In fact, though Mrs. Clinton soldiered on for another month before pulling out, her staff revealed that Russert's pronouncement was the moment they knew the end was near.
He famously covered the 2000 White House cliffhanger not with computer graphics, but an old-fashioned, hand-written white dry-eraser board. His board, bearing the words "Florida, Florida, Florida," already rests in a Washington museum and made TV Guide's "100 Most Memorable TV Moments."
His encyclopedic knowledge and passion for politics was cultivated as chief of staff to the late Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 1977-1982.
He was also New York Gov. Mario Cuomo's chief of staff in Albany for two years before joining NBC in 1984.
Born May 7, 1950, Russert graduated from John Carroll University in Ohio and earned a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He used his legal training to dissect public officials' comments – often to their chagrin.
"He always asked the question we hoped he wouldn't," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said.