Tribute: Tim Russert

George Stephanopoulos put it best this morning when he said that Tim Russert believed in an educated electorate, and he made us believe that too.

I met Tim Russert in October of 2004, when I was at a Boston bar following a Red Sox game. His son Luke was a freshman at Boston College. I told Tim (I joked with friends after meeting him that "Tim and I were close") that I admired how well he researched his interviews.

"Meet The Press" was the first show I ever recorded via Comcast DVR. It was a staple of my viewing each Sunday. And the reason was Tim Russert. He asked the questions that deserved answers-- and he asked them not in the "gotcha" style of a journalist looking to "trip-up" an interviewee. He asked them because he believed the answers would best inform the American public.

Tim Russert was a true American. Everyone who watched his show knew he was from Buffalo. He was authentic; a real-life manifestation of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get).

There's no question I will miss Tim Russert. I remember that back just before I met him, I believe he had just interviewed President Bush from the White House-- a special interview that aired during the week and not on Sunday. I remember feeling relief when I heard Tim Russert was doing the interview. The nation was at war in Iraq. I did not trust Donald Rumsfeld. I knew Tim Russert would ask the questions that were important, and I knew I would leave with a clearer explanation of what was going on. I trusted Tim Russert; I always did.