Reaction: Russert made politics contagious

Tim Russert died this afternoon, the victim of a sudden heart attack that seized him as he was doing what he loved: covering politics. There is probably no more heroic a place for a journalist to die than in the newsroom. Americans will miss this pugnacious reporter, and he truly deserves the title, for as H.L. Mencken famously said, "a journalist is just a dead reporter." Russert's charm was a subtle one, as he had neither the dashing leading-man presence of a Brian Williams or Anderson Cooper, nor the colorful antics of a Chris Matthews or Bill O'Reilly. Instead he was an even-handed commentator and a dogged interviewer whose questions made top politicians almost as nervous as the knowledge that they couldn't hope to pass muster with voters without stopping on "Meet the Press." The one thing all Americans will take away from this man is his incredible passion for politics; it is humanly impossible to watch that smile sneak up on Russert's face when some huge political news event is breaking, without feeling excited yourself.

While journalists, politicians and MSNBC viewers will miss Russert's fairness and contagious passion for the wild, rollicking game that is American politics, most Americans will miss Russert for his humble on-screen personality. He never forgot his blue-collar beginnings, nor the tireless spirit of his father, a World War II veteran who came home and worked two jobs to feed his family.

The American public will remember Russert the same way, as a devoted family man. Russert's first autobiography, Big Russ and Me, painted a moving portrait of his love for his father and it changed the way I looked at my relationship with my own father, who bought me the book for Christmas 2006. Your father will always be a part of you. Learning about him teaches you about yourself, I realized.

It seems both tragic and fitting that Russert should die a mere two days before Father's Day, 2008.

I will end this tribute by quoting Russert himself, from Big Russ and Me: "When somebody near us loses a loved one, we have a duty to show up, to be there, and to help them remember; to offer a hand and a shoulder, and yes, to celebrate a life."

Today, all of America showed up to celebrate the life of a man who kept the rainy windshield of politics clear enough for all to glimpse truth.