The end of a Giant

Everyone knows I'm a nerd. One of the things that makes me a nerd is that since high school, I've watched Meet the Press as often as I was able to catch it. The news of Tim Russert's death, for me, is probably the most shocking public death since Princess Diana. He was a giant in the political press. Russert stood above the mere political pundits that crowd the airwaves. He was, first and foremost, a journalist. Listening to the streaming coverage on MSNBC, it is amazing to hear that in addition to being a great journalist, he was a wonderful person. He genuinely cared about his family, friends and his hometown of Buffalo (which has lowered their flags in his honor, calling him the greatest ambassador of Buffalo). The stories being recalled about his relationship with his father, the basis of his best-selling book, brought tears to my eyes. My Sundays will never be the same, and our national political coverage will have a large hole to fill.