Tim Russert RIP

Tim Russert was the finest American political interviewer of his generation. People in Washington used to talk about the Russert primary, the idea that a candidate had only proved they could stand up to the scrutiny of a presidential campaign if they could get through the full-hour long interview on the show Russert hosted Meet the Press.

What was so refreshing about Russert was that his interviews were tough but infused with a reverence for the process, a love for democracy. He never sneered at the politicians he interviewed but he did hold them to account more effectively than anyone else on television.

Perhaps, Russert’s most memorable moment came on election night in 2000. While others floundered amid the confusion, Russert simply got out a white board and did the math to see how both campaigns could get to 270.

Russert died yesterday at the tragically young age of 58, predeceasing his father who he has written