Xoutpost.com - Tim Russert, 58, off to Valhala

I hope that unexpected last ride was a good one. I liked Russert; he
was smart, interesting and usually even handed. As he was 3 years
younger than I, as one of the older posters here, it was pretty damn
shocking. Life is fun, but its denouement is often unforseen...enjoy
every day.
From the NewYawkTimes...

Tim Russert, ‘Meet the Press’ Host, Is Dead at 58

By JACQUES STEINBERG
Published: June 14, 2008

Tim Russert, a fixture in American homes on Sunday mornings and election nights since becoming moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press” 17 years ago, died suddenly Friday after collapsing in the network’s Washington bureau. His death was announced by Tom Brokaw, the former anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” who broke into the network’s coverage just after 3:30 p.m.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ussert_190.jpg

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...-RUSSERT-B.JPGSlide Show Tim Russert, 1950-2008

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...sert.3-190.jpg Tim Russert on Dec. 8, 1982, when he was counselor and spokesman for Governor Mario Cuomo of New York.

An NBC spokeswoman, Allison Gollust, said in an e-mail message just before 7:30 this evening that the cause of Mr. Russert’s death was a “sudden heart attack.”

At the time he was stricken, Mr. Russert had been recording voice-overs for this Sunday’s program. Mr. Russert, who was also the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and a senior vice president, had recently returned from a trip to Italy to celebrate the recent graduation of his son, Luke, from Boston College.

With his plain-spoken explanations and hard-hitting questions, Mr. Russert played an increasingly outsized role in the media’s coverage of politics.

The elegantly simple white memo board he used on election night in 2000 to explain the deadlock in the race between George W. Bush and Al Gore became one of the most iconic images in the history of American television coverage of the road to the White House.

More recently, he drew criticism for his sharp — some said disproportionately sharp — questioning of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in her pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination, most notably in a debate between her and Senator Barack Obama in Cleveland in February.

But he was often tough on Republicans, too, including a memorable confrontation in the late 1990’s with Representative Dan Burton, the Indiana Republican who was a vocal critic of the Clinton administration.
“He really was the best political journalist in America, not just the best television journalist in America,” said Al Hunt, the Washington executive editor of Bloomberg News and the former Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Russert’s political analysis was born from experience: he had worked as a counselor for Gov. Mario M. Cuomo of New York in 1983 and 1984, and for five years before that had been special counsel to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York.

“He absolutely set the standard for moving from politics to journalism,” said Mr. Hunt, a close friend who first met Mr. Russert in his days working for Moynihan. “He proved it could be done. He proved it could be done with extraordinary skill and integrity.”

“Meet the Press,” the top-rated public affairs program on television, is viewed by nearly 4 million people each Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research. As word of Mr. Russert’s death spread across Blackberry and computer screens, tributes poured into NBC from the highest elected officials and competitors on other networks. Dozens of loyal viewers also posted tributes on media websites, including that of The New York Times.

Mr. Brokaw is schedule to host a special edition of “Meet the Press” on Sunday, which will pay tribute to Mr. Russert’s life and career.

In a statement, President Bush described Mr. Russert as “an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades.

“He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews,” Mr. Bush said. “And he was gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it.”
Dan Rather, the former anchor of the CBS Evening News, said, “He will be especially missed in this historic presidential election year.”

Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Clinton released a statement saying: “Always true to his proud Buffalo roots, Tim had a love of public service and a dedication to journalism that rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of not only his colleagues but also those of us who had the privilege to go toe to toe with him.”

In addition to his son, Mr. Russert is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, and his father, Tim Russert. The elder Mr. Russert is the subject of his son’s bestselling book, “Big Russ & Me.”
Katharine Q. Seelye contributed reporting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/bu...hp&oref=slogin#