Tim Russert has died of unknown causes. He was the political reporter that every reporter wanted to be. There was no reporter with a broader base of knowledge; no television moderator with a better grasp on when a guest was lying, contradicting himself, or just plain wrong. Russert produced some of the great gotcha moments of our time.
From this election cycle alone:
But despite near-universal acclaim and a level of influence usually out of reach for a reporter from Buffalo, he remained remarkably humble. He loved his father, said as much on every show and even wrote a book about it. One time, upon finding out a student had written an editorial in a student paper questioning his integrity, Russert requested that the student interview him. The meeting, says the student, was exceedingly polite.
The show Russert hosted, Meet the Press, started as a radio show in 1945. Russert had the longest run as moderator. His mix of curiosity and fact-based politics will be irreplaceable. He will (or at least should) be missed by anyone who has picked up a pen, anyone who has read the newspaper, and anyone who has formed an opinion
