Wow! I just noticed this.
He is one of the last network newspersons that I actually respected and trusted. I was looking forward to watching him hopefully moderate at least one of the debates. (In my ideal world, he would have moderated all of them.)
I am truly going to miss him. Sunday mornings are going to feel really empty for a while.
It was hard just now to watch a replay of Brokaw delivering the news.
I have to admit, I’m not much for TV news. But the times I saw Tim Russert on his show, I was impressed by his seriousness and his professionalism. He was really good, and when I saw him on other shows, he seemed like a completely decent guy. What a shame for everyone.
Wow, I am just stunned. Its almost fathers day. 
A truly sad day, not only for the news industry, but for the nation. A true giant among newscasters; indeed, among all mankind. Look up “integrity” in the dictionary, and you’ll see a picture of Tim Russert and his whiteboard.
Speaking of journalistic integrity, when I heard the news (while watching US Open coverage), I immediately tuned to MSNBC and watched their coverage for awhile. I then switched to CNN and saw Wolf Blitzer interviewing Barbara Walters and others about Russert’s life.
I then switched to Fox News, and for a solid half-hour watched stories about Bush’s trip to Europe, someone in Tennessee speculating that Barack Obama might be “terrorist-connected”, and yet another story about illegal immigration. And the entire time (yes, I forced myself to stick with it), not ONE mention about the passing of Tim Russert, either from the anchorman or even the NEWS TICKER!
Oh well, it’s just as well. Those scumbags don’t deserve to speak the name of Tim Russert anyway.
Goodbye, Tim. This election year will be poorer for not having you around, but we are all richer for having you for the time we did.
he had just returned from vacation with his wife and son. a very terrible day for them. such odd timing, friday the 13th and just before father’s day. a father losing his son, his son losing his father.
flags are at half mast in buffalo already.
may his memory be eternal.
I’ve been struggling for something to say since I saw this about 3 hours ago. This quote says it all.
I’m stunned. He was the consummate professional, someone who kept my faith in objectivity regarding the news. He also seemed like a very likeable person. Meet the Press won’t be the same.
I don’t know the circumstances of how it came but I also thought it was so cool that he let his name be associated with the character of Megan Russert, as her cousin on Homicide, and appeared on one episode, The Old and the Dead.
Very sad. He was one of the few guys who took up the proud mantle of Journalistic integrity after Cronkite retired.
I’m stunned, and sad. Tim Russert was truly a credit to the field of journalism. He will be missed.
Not that this is the time or place to discuss such things, but Fox News provided at least two or three hours of commercial free coverage. I know this because I watched all three networks. They eventually went off to other coverage, but Russert would be the first to insist that we report the truth about such things.
I cannot imagine anyone working in network news whose death would hit me harder. He was a rarity in the business - honest, hard-working, straightforward, conscientious - heck, just insert your favorite virtue. I’ve always attributed his character to his working-class background, which he never forgot. He held politicians’ feet to the fire like no one else.
A few minutes ago Keith Olbermann cited Barbara Walters saying Russert’s death is a loss to the country. At first blanch that seems excessive, but I think she’s right.
For the record, they’re saying the cause of death is a coronary thrombosis.
Requiescat in pace.
They did say on Fox News they were waiting for his wife and son, who were vacationing in Italy, to be informed, so they waited for NBC to break it, because then they knew the family knew. I watched Fox a little bit today and Neil Cavuto was on a solid 45 minutes without a commercial break, and John Gibson looked like he had been or was about to cry.
Keith looks as if he’s been crying all afternoon.
I saw Mitchell, Brokaw, Gregory, Williams and Olbermann all cry at least once during the initial NBC coverage. Hell, I cried when Andrea Mitchell said that Russert’s nickname for her had always been “Mitch” and that her dad was the only other person who called her that.
He didn’t just report on politics, he helped shape politics. His death is a loss to this whole nation.
He was so excited about this campaign. It’s heartbreaking to realize he won’t be here to see it through to the end.
RIP, Mr. Russert. We’ll miss you terribly.
Damn. I always thought he’d be around to see the Bills win a Super Bowl.
There have been almost 5000 comments posted about this by people on MSNBC in only five hours. Wow.
I’m just waiting for Bill O’Reilly to say it was all a stunt to improve NBC’s ratings.
It’s a great loss for his family and friends, NBC and the rest of us. The presidential campaign coverage just took a nosedive; nobody else has the cred to even approach half of what we all just lost.
Nothing profound to add, just expressing my own shock.
R.I.P. Mr. Russert.
Russert was a political junkie in the best sense of the word. I loved how he always looked disheveled and in need of a shave on election nights… and the white dry erase board, of course!
Thank God (MS)NBC had him to balance out Chris “Thrill Up My Leg” Matthews and Olbermann. I felt that he was able to manage the objectivity required of a journalist in his position. My money is on Mitchell and Gregory to take over the Washington bureau - maybe a tag team sort of deal.
Russert was awesome… he’ll be missed.
Holy shit. I suppose we all have to go sometime, but what awful timing. Timmy, we hardly knew ye.