Goodbye, Tim.

Tim Russert, 1950-2008.

Last July, I was lucky enough to meet a man that can be considered nothing less than a legend. He was not only an institution at NBC, but in Washington; a giant in both journalism and politics. Unfortunately, as I type this today, he has died.

If you look back at a July 2007 blog from me, you'll read that not only did I have the privilege of sitting in the studio bleachers during a live shoot of Meet the Press, but I had the honor of hearing from Tim himself during a 1 hour Q&A. I'll never forget that experience, of seeing history happen in front of me, and of hearing a history maker talk about his job and his life. His sense of humor was boundless, his candor priceless, and his insight more valuable than gold.

There are four things I'll always remember from his session that day. One was an anecdote, and the other was a list.

He shared with us some interesting stories about his career as a political journalist, especially in being Chief of NBC's Washington Bureau. Due to the nature of this position, phone calls at home weren't unheard of. He received a lot of breaking news over the phone, but one of the stories he told us was about one of the funniest breaking news stories that ever reached his desk. All I remember is Tim standing at the podium, wiping his brown and smirking to himself, before repeating to us what he had said on the phone when he heard the news: "What?! Dick Cheney shot a guy?! Seriously?!" Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was his personality, but the audience, included me, laughed so hard!

He also shared with us the three things we'd all need to be serious journalists: 1) to learn Spanish, 2) to find a specialty, and 3) to always keep up with current events. He also added: "Study hard, laugh often, and keep your honor."

I don't think his words need elaboration. What I will say is that I have always counted amongst my blessings what happened that day; in any reading I ever did about going to Washington for an internship, a visit to Meet the Press was always a must. I'm so lucky I had the opportunity, not only to see a landmark show, but to meet a man who never failed to ask the questions that needed to be asked. He was never a bully, but he wasn't afraid of tough questions, keeping to a standard of hard journalism that more of us should follow.

Now that he won't be able to add anything to his legacy directly, I hope others carry his honor in their work, especially at this important time. Tim, his white boards, his questions, and his knowledge made an election like watching sports. Without him here, I hope more than anything his questions are asked. At the end of the day, though, as Keith Olbermann said today, "This election won't

be an election without Tim Russert."

I will have accomplished something in life if I can become half of the journalist and half of the person Tim Russert was. My greatest hope is that I will never never fall out of this footsteps in anything I do.

In keeping his honor, I leave you tonight, mournfully,

~MJ