Timmmmmber!

Timmmmmber!

I never shook his hand. I never saw him in the flesh. But most Sundays we sat together and listened to important national figures answer the tough questions asked of them. Tim Russert, NBC Washington Bureau Chief and Host of "Meet The Press", died today. He was fifty-eight. He was my friend. He was the friend of all Americans because he worked to reveal the truth and give it to us. He didn't try to tell us what he thought. He asked the questions and we listened to the answers. We decided for ourselves. He was the best journalist of my time because he wasn't an editorialist during interviews.

Chris Matthews made a point that shows what I mean when he explained about how Tim handled an interview with David Duke. Duke was running for Governor of Louisiana. Many people, rightly so, pegged him as a racist; ex-KKK, though Duke had tried to put on a new face. Tim Russert asked him, "What is the most important issue in your election?" Duke answered, "The Economy." Then Russert asked, "Name the three biggest employers in the state of Louisiana." Duke didn't know. Tim didn't have to call Duke names or posture or bluster. We could decide. Duke was a liar with ulterior motives. He was unprepared and uninformed. His campaign died.

Tim Russert was also a family man and a great friend to all around him. He was always there for his wife and his son, who just graduated from Boston College. Tim was always there for charity and the unfortunate. And all who really new him looked up to him as a shining example of what a man should be.

I am fifty-four and also a big guy like Tim. I am scared.

To his family and friends I send my kindest regards and good wishes. And for the rest of us, for all the truth that you revealed for all of us, thank you Tim Russert. You will be greatly missed. Who will fill your big comfortable shoes?

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