Tim Russert

I didn't watch Meet the Press that often but when I did I enjoyed it because Russert was very engaging and obviously very well prepared. He also seemed very objective and unbiased and took no spin. He seemed to be equally tough on both parties. So, I was surpised when I first heard about his death and that he suddenly collapsed during work. But my sympathy and respect grew evenmore when I saw Charlie Rose's interview collages in tribute to him (an entire hour). Russert's glowing passion for politics was real. I also learned of his roots (he grew up in working class neighborhood in Buffalo, NY and his father had 2 jobs to support his family, as a truck driver and a garbage man) and his priorities: family, hard work, and loyalty and also how he mentored or helped so many young reporters. He seemed most decent and genuine. The fact that so many people were grief stricken with his death was not acting but actual sense of loss that they showed. That showed me that he touched alot of people's hearts. They respected and loved who he was and what he stood for. Indeed a rare decent man full of life and decency. The fact that he will be missed by so many people is not an accident. I envy his values, decency, hard work and how so many people respected him. I also admire that he never lost sight of his working class roots and loved his father and his family so much.