Tim Russert, Washington Bureau Chief of NBC and moderator of Meet the Press, died today after collapsing at work, according to NBC News. Mr. Russert was 58 years old.
Those of us, who love politics and love to write about it, consider him to be one of the premier political journalists. His interviews of candidates on Sunday mornings were something that I never missed, because he was so probing with his questions and his follow-up questions were simply masterful. He was so totally prepared on the person who was that Sunday’s guest. I believe he was almost the only political journalist who was completely fair and non-bias so I always tried to read whatever he wrote and never missed viewing the interviews he hosted. My Sunday mornings began with Meet the Press and now Sunday mornings will not be quite the same.
Tim Russert was also the host of many of the presidential debates and I felt those debates were the ones with the most substance and also the fairest and most un-bias. Mr. Russert was always very prepared with his questioning and asked questions on subjects that mattered most to the American people. His political analysis on election nights were insightful and explained in such a way so that any one of us could better understand the political issues. Tim Russert was trained to be a lawyer and that is probably what made him such a great interviewer.
After graduating from law school, he worked on New York Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s Senatorial campaign. He later worked on New York Democrat Mario Cuomo’s gubernatorial campaign. Russert was hired by NBC at their Washington Bureau in 1984. He arranged for Pope John Paul II’s first interview on American television in 1985. He became Washington Bureau Chief in 1988.
He was the author of three books which were all three about fathers. He often talked about his father, Big Russ, and his son Luke, who just graduated from Boston College this year.
Tim Russert is survived by his father, his wife Maureen and his son, Luke. He is respected and admired by the entire journalistic and political communities and will be greatly missed.
