Tim Russert

I was so shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Tim Russert on Friday afternoon. I've watched Meet the Press for years, mostly because of the wonderful job Russert did as moderator. I've had it programmed into my DVR almost since the day I got it. I found Russert entertaining, engaging, and above all the most well-informed and passionate analyst of the political landscape. I also enjoyed seeing him at 7 AM on the Today show in his role as Washington bureau chief whenever there was a breaking story in the capital. You could tell that he really loved doing what he did, and that there was no other place he'd rather be than at the center of the storm. Watching him with that whiteboard during election night coverage always made me smile. No matter what other technology the network deployed, Russert relied on that whiteboard, and often he had more accurate information to pass along than the computers did. I don't know what's going to happen to Meet the Press now. It's going to continue, of course, but no one can fill his shoes.