A Consumate Journalist

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press via FoxNews.com

Over the course of the weekend since Tim Russert passed away on Friday, I've been reading and watching a lot of news articles about Mr. Russert.

I was a big Tim Russert fan. One of the things about him that I really was impressed with was his impartiality -- he went after Democrats and Republican alike, with the same vigor. He wanted to make sure Americans had all of the facts about the issue(s) at hand.

One person, I can't recall who, said in an interview that Tim ran "Meet the Press" like how a football game should be run. It was meat and potatoes. It was in your face journalism. These are the facts. These are how the facts affect ordinary Americans. Now how are you going to address these facts?

I'm sure some people were shaking their head in puzzled amazement at his whiteboard presentations during the 2000 election coverage, when he kept saying "Everything is going to come down to Florida." You may have been thinking "Wow, this guy really knows his stuff" or "I've never quite seen this approach before." I was thinking a little of both.

I remember talking with Congressman Graham after his first appearance on "Meet the Press" in the late 90s. He told me that he felt that he had to be more on his game when being interviewed by Mr. Russert than with any journalist. I'm sure over time, Lindsey and his fellow politicians who had developed a professional rapport with Tim still felt some anxiety before going on his show.

Despite how aggressively he would press someone on an issue, he always did it with a smile. And he and that person would usually end up laughing over something before the interview was over. He had a visible energy about his work.

Tim was a consumate journalist, from humble beginnings.

If you read or listen to his colleagues that have commented on his life over the last three days, they're saying things like, "He remained true to his beliefs, his family, and his roots his entire life," "He never backed down from a challenge," "He valued hard work," or "He was a family man."

I haven't had a chance to read Tim's books "Big Russ & Me," written about his father, or "Wisdom of Our Fathers." But I've heard both being talked about extensively over the last few days and seen some footage of Tim discussing them. I need to go pick up copies of both.

You could tell he had a great love of family and an amazing repsect for and admiration of his father. In one of the interviews I watched, he says something to the effect of, "I wrote Big Russ to show how we each stand on the shoulders of our fathers. I stand on his. My son stands on mine."

It doesn't get any more truthful than that.

Godspeed Tim Russert. We will all miss you. Rest in peace.