The biggest dilemma NBC had in announcing the sudden passing of Tim Russert was the lack of anyone in their news department with enough stature to "break the news". Who could they choose among their ranks? NBC when they passed on hyper-partisan Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. Sure, they hosted many hours on MSNBC collecting stories and tributes from the many colleagues who were shocked and saddened by his sudden demise. But if there was any doubt about their smallness it was summarized by Chris Matthews need to create a storyline out of the Iraq war and how Tim Russert at the beginning of the second Iraq war, the exemplifier of small town American values held with the President over the fact that Saddam was thought to have WMD's. He, Matthews, was of course not duped.
Nor did they turn to Brian Williams or Matt Lauer. You can figure that out for yourself. NBC required an alumnus, someone who was untainted by the stench of the petty, the bitter and the bias that has become NBC and particular MSNBC. They chose Tom Brokaw to do it as the only person affiliated to that once great network with the gravitas to report on the death of a titan of broadcast news.
Tim Russert exemplified a hard-nosed sense of fair play when it came to the reporting of and the examination of political events. He managed to disguise his politics and view point and helped separate the facts from the fantasy and spin of both the two major political parties. At the end of the day it was the conservative media, both on radio and the internet that will give him his greatest tributes.
His many eulogies have discussed man who grew up in a blue color environment, had blue collar values, was active member in his faith and came the closest to being the arbiter of fairness in his reporting with little partisan bias ever showing up in his presentations.
It was reported how he came from an area around Buffalo New York and how he had been discovered by Patrick Moynihan, the late senator from New York. It described his time with Mario Cuomo and then his work with NBC. Tim moved from a contributor to bureau chief in Washington D.C. and then host of MEET the Press a title he kept for an unprecedented seventeen years. Though he had been a long time Democrat staffer, he was one of the very few who transcended partisanship to being a journalist in the real sense of term.
I agreed with the comments on many blogs about his sense of objectivity. With the exception of John Stossel or Brit Hume, I did not look forward to any other journalist that had a regular platform when news was breaking.
All of us new junkies will never forgot the good natured but prosecutorial reporter who came into our homes on hour every Sunday mornings and during the week on many of NBC news offerings to provide us some insight or context to domestic political news. In a world where everyone is replaceable and fifteen minutes of fame is a long time the race between Obama and McCain will lack one of the American scenes best political arbiters. Rest in Peace Tim. We will miss you.
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