Farewell to the Great Tim Russert
Posted on 17 June 2008 by Michael Callaway
Friday June 13, 2008 will be remembered as one of the saddest days of my life. Learning that Tim Russert had died at the NBC news office two days before Father’s Day and very shortly after his son’s graduation causes me more sadness then I would have ever dreamed possible for a man that I did not know personally.
While I have always felt bad for the families of public people when they died I have never felt such a personal loss. When Princess Diana died I was sad for her sons, my heart broke seeing Nancy Reagan kiss the coffin when President Ronald Reagan was buried, and I was moved to tears when former Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan because of friendly fire. However, none of them affected me personally like the death of Tim Russert.
I have always loved politics and Tim Russert’s coverage was by far the best. If I was flipping through channels during election coverage and saw Tim’s face I knew I needed to stop and listen to what he had to say. Tim Russert knew how to ask great questions to all his guests but then did the best thing of all, he let them talk, even when what they had to say really did not make sense. Tim Russert had a way of elevating the political conversation in a way that few have and he will be missed.
Chuck Todd yesterday spoke about Tim Russert’s passing two days before Father’s Day and said, “Of course, it had to be this weekend”. Tim’s death is especially tragic for Big Russ, Luke and his wife, they will have to go through this weekend and many more without him. Big Russ taught his son that he was blessed but not entitled, as the son of a modest man myself I can understand this teaching. My father went without many things when I was young so that my sister, brother and I could enjoy certain things in life. Tim inspires me to honor my father and to hopefully one day be a good dad myself.
November 2008 is not going to be the same without the Great Tim Russert. Football season is not going to be the same either; I loved his weekly plug for the Buffalo Bills no matter how bad they were. To my wife and I, Sunday mornings simply will not be the same. Meet the Press has been a show that I have watched since I was in college and Tim Russert is the only anchor of it I have ever known, Sunday television will not be the same.
The one thing that makes me smile is the thought of a Heavenly version of Meet the Press with all the great politicians from the past trying to get on. Lincoln and Douglas can have their famous debates on his show, he can interview the two candidates from the campaign that he always dreamed about covering, Tilden and Hayes. The election of 1876 the closest and most controversial, Tilden tried to steal the election from Hayes and then Hayes stole it back, I am sure Tim Russert could get to the bottom of what really happened that year.
Grover Cleveland would also make an excellent guest, if you think politics in 2008 can get ugly try 1884. “Ma, ma, where’s my pa?” was the Republican slogan used because Cleveland had an illegitimate son that did not live with him even though he supported the child financially. Tim would have wanted to know more about the genius behind the Democratic response, “Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!”
I also see him having a panel of the best experts in history, Moses, Abraham, Solomon and others getting their take on the situation in the Middle East and what they would do differently if they were down here. Yes it will be Sunday soon, and yes it will still be time to meet the press, but it will not be the same. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Russert family and all at NBC.
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June 18th, 2008 at 9:03 am
His sudden death has created a lot of uncertainty because he was so closely identified with Meet The Press. Tim Russert didn’t create Meet The Press, but he showed us what the program was all about. He showed us that the Meet The Press brand –more than any other competing show— has a sense of mission.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I am saddened by the loss of Tim Russert. He was fair to all sides, did his homework, reported honestly, and was always a gentleman. His appetite for politics was voracious. He loved his family, his people, this country, and we will miss him tremendously. Tim understood journalism, politics, and the meaning of integrity in both to its core. May his memory serve as a standard of excellence across all levels, especially in our lives.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
When I watched the memorial for Tim Russert on Sunday I did fine, until they had him from last Father’s Day say how proud he was of his son and how much he loved his dad. After that, I was a mess.