An Honest and Honorable Eulogy for Tim Russert
Of all the eulogies for Tim Russert, may he rest in peace, this is one of the most honest and honorable.
It is from Matthew Rothschild at The Progressive and presents Russert as a decent yet flawed human being and journalist.
"Tim Russert, by all accounts I’ve heard, including from people on the progressive side who knew him well, was a decent guy.
"The news of his death came as a shock to me, as it did to everyone: He was a fixture for those of us who are obsessed with politics. And to be stricken of a heart attack at 58 is a fate that no one should have to suffer.
"I feel bad for his family, and for his colleagues.
"For many years, I looked forward to watching him on Meet the Press.
"For Russert, who rightfully earned a reputation as a tough questioner, to go easy on Cheney, well, this was not his finest habit.
"I bring all this up, even at this delicate moment, to point out simply that even great mainstream journalists sometimes bow to patriotism and to power, and when they do, our democracy, and the cause of peace and justice, suffers."
Go give it a read.
It is from Matthew Rothschild at The Progressive and presents Russert as a decent yet flawed human being and journalist.
"Tim Russert, by all accounts I’ve heard, including from people on the progressive side who knew him well, was a decent guy.
"The news of his death came as a shock to me, as it did to everyone: He was a fixture for those of us who are obsessed with politics. And to be stricken of a heart attack at 58 is a fate that no one should have to suffer.
"I feel bad for his family, and for his colleagues.
"For many years, I looked forward to watching him on Meet the Press.
"I stopped watching him regularly after September 11 because he became a cheerleader for war.
"For Russert, who rightfully earned a reputation as a tough questioner, to go easy on Cheney, well, this was not his finest habit.
"I bring all this up, even at this delicate moment, to point out simply that even great mainstream journalists sometimes bow to patriotism and to power, and when they do, our democracy, and the cause of peace and justice, suffers."
Go give it a read.
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