Tim Russert- A true gentleman

Today I was in a meeting with a client and a team of professionals. My phone rang twice during the meeting, and I politely ignored it. When it rang the third time I apologized and took the call. It was my sister Nancy phoning to tell me the sad news, that Tim Russert had died. I felt the immediate loss of someone I had never met, but felt that I knew. Tim Russert was to me a combination of Addicus Finch, Will Rogers and Edward R. Murrow. He was someone who had the gravitas to go toe to toe with heads of state, and yet you felt like you might just bump into him at the bus stop and share a joke. He knew his stuff and it was evident that anyone he interviewed was in serious trouble if they attempted to be less than transparent. He was a political purist true and true, and he had a love for this country that was unabashedly full of raw enthusiasm. Mr. Russert had class, something that is rare in a profession that regularly sells it's soul for a story. He was the guy you knew would ask the question we were all thinking, but never got the chance to ask. He was never pretentious, and yet as he deferred to his guests, he was weaving a web that would catch them in their own words if they weren't careful. He clearly knew his stuff and was universally respected among his peers. He was the brother you never had, or the dad you always wanted. He was a gentleman.
His legacy will be many things and I am so sorry as I think of his family tonight. Their grief is just begining.
Mr. Russert set the bar high for anyone who wishes to aspire to journalism in any form. His simple manner and indefatigable quest for the truth in every interview will be missed. Politics just won't be the same.
Tonight all the political junkies, and I am chief among them, mourn the loss of a great man. God bless Tim Russert.
May the angels welcome you to paradise, may the martyrs greet you on your way. May you see the face of the Lord this day, Mr. Russert, as you leave us.