Thank you, Mr. Russert. You will be missed.

I am normally not one to jump on the celebrity pumping band wagon or self congratulatory and aggrandizing capitalization off of others misery, but I would be remiss if I did not say a word about Tim Russert's passing today.
It was a shock. It just doesn't seem like in this day and age we think about middle aged men dropping dead of a heart attack at work. Maybe in 1976, but not today.
It is saddening. I am sad for his family and friends, but I know that the biggest loss that will be felt far into the future is the loss of his integrity and ethics in the profession of journalism. He is one of the last great journalists that graced us with their wisdom, insight, forthright honesty and candor in the face of great, powerful, and wealthy men and women. He was someone that we could trust to stand up for the rest of us when he interviewed presidents, world leaders, shamed senators and candidates for higher office. He was one we could count on to call 'bullshit' when someone was blowing air up our asses.
I had the luck to meet him once, at a work function. He spoke at our dinner and gave us all signed copies of his latest book. During his speech he began talking about the special connections that he's made over the years, with hundreds and probably thousands of people who have shared his passion for honoring their parents, as he did in his books. He got choked up when he started talking about his father, and the occassion when his father publicly began praising him for being such a wonderful son. He made everyone in that room wish that they could run to their fathers that night and hug them and tell them how much they meant to us. It is that intangible way of making you want to be a better person, despite all the heaping crap life throws your way, that made Tim Russert a great man.
We should all try, in his name, to be a little better to each other from now on, since we can no longer count on his earthly prodding.