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I’m going to miss Tim Russert. He was my friend.
I didn’t know him personally, but I can still say he was my friend.
Why? Because he was a welcome guest in my home on Sunday and on those days when my sense of politics took a keener interest then normal. And when he was in my home I trusted him like a friend, because he had that ability to make you feel comfortable in his presence.
He was one of the few journalists on television that made me smile every time he was on camera because of his childlike excitement whenever he was talking about something passionate (usually politics) and he always caught my attention whenever he had a thought or an insight about the subject he was speaking about. When he spoke you knew here was someone who knew what they were talking about.
There are few televison journalists today that inspire confidence in their intentions and reporting. Brian Williams is one of that rare breed.
But I always felt Tim Russert was one of those too.
Newspapers will rattle off his numerous degrees, the fact that he was an attorney, his political experience and the many awards he won. But one thing you can’t capture in an article or a soundbite is that Tim Russert was the real deal, the genuine article, an individual that cared about people and family and that cared about what was important to the American people.
That can’t be imitated with a little more makeup here, or better lighting there. It comes from the heart and the soul and Tim had that ability to convey his warmth and caring through the cold electrons of the television.
A rare gift from a one of a kind individual.
Tim, even though you are gone I will still hear your voice. At every major political event you will still be whispering in my ear silently, “This is Big!”
God Bless you Tim.
My sympathies to his wife Maureen, his dad Big Russ, and his son Luke.
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