"He (Tim Russert's father, Big Russ) wanted to make sure I knew that education was not the same as knowledge, and that there were things, important things, that regular Americans knew and educated people—especially highly educated people—often did not." - Tim Russert
Karl Rove said that he had never studied harder for a school exam as he did for a 15 minute interview on Meet the Press with Russert. I can't think of another journalist on television who was rightfully considered more thorough, more prepared, more relentless, and more of a gentleman than this man. Without exaggeration, he was an institution.
All this being said, what speaks volumes about Russert's character is that for the last hours since his death what people who knew him well keep saying about him was how much he loved his dad (go read his book on his dad, "Big Russ & Me": a great read), loved his wife and son, loved his church, loved his life, and loved his job. O, yes, he also loved The Boss.
My first memory of Tim Russert was of his 1985 live interview of Pope John Paul II. A first of its kind. I loved how comfortable he was in his own skin, I loved his voice, I loved how respectful he was, without being obsequious.
What shocks is that he was so young. Okay, I think he was young, as he was only a little older than I am. At our age, you think, "Hey, there is still so much time, so much I can accomplish, so much I can still experience ..." But you never know when God is going to say, "Time's Up!" May we all live so that our friends can speak with such praise of our life and loves as those of Tim Russert.
No comments:
Post a Comment