Tim Russert R.I.P. Special Report on NBC

In a profession that has become tarnished by partisanship and cheap shots, Tim Russert stood apart. On Friday, June 13, Tim Russert died after collapsing at work of a heart attack. The NBC News Washington bureau chief and host of “Meet the Press” was a model journalist. He was fair to all sides, did his homework, reported honestly, and was always a gentleman. His appetite for politics was voracious. He loved his family, his people, this country, and we will miss him tremendously. Tim understood journalism, politics, and the meaning of integrity in both to its core. May his memory serve as a standard of excellence across all levels, especially in our lives.

Here is an additional article released by the Associated Press only minutes after his death.

Tim had an extraordinary talent for interrogation. Ronald Kessler, a Washington insider, provides a typical exchange during a presidential debate in September:

“Russert read a blind quote from a “Meet the Press” guest who had approved of torture in extreme circumstances. Sen. Hillary Clinton said in the debate that she disagreed with the assertion, and Russert told her that the quote was from “William Jefferson Clinton.

Doesn’t that mean she disagrees with her husband? Russert asked.

“Well, he’s not standing here right now,” Hillary said.

As the audience cheered, Russert pressed her further for some acknowledgment that she disagreed with her husband.

“Well,” Clinton said. “I’ll talk to him later.”

For more on Tim Russert, read here.