Tribute to Tim Russert

Eight years ago, I was up in New Hampshire for about a week volunteering for the Bill Bradley for President campaign. Working some media for the campaign, I found myself at a local TV station, where I ran in to an old political comedian friend of mine, Will Durst.

Will invited me to attend a big bash being hosted by the fine folks of Comedy Central being held at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Manchester. There, I ran in to many Democratic politicos I knew from around the country, as well as fellow comedian Jon Stewart [who had recently graduated from the comedy club circuit, and inherited The Daily Show]. This was a room filled with about a thousand people, eating, drinking and schmoozing.

In pretty much the center of this noisy hectic room, I happen to come together at the same time with Jon Stewart, Congressman Jerry Nadler of the 8th district in New York, and Tim Russert.
The meeting was brief, but serendipitous. I was introduced to Mr. Russert by Jon Stewart, and it was then I found out he had gone to law school. I was impressed.

Flash forward to 2006, where for my birthday my brother, Paul, buys me a copy of Mr. Russert's book, "Wisdom of Our Fathers". We had lost our own dad two years earlier, and I very much enjoyed the gift. I read the book from cover to cover, laughing sometimes, crying other times. It was a good read.

I will miss Mr. Russert's intelligence and well placed questions each and every Sunday morning on "Meet The Press". It just won't seem like a real presidential political season without him.

My condolences to the Russert family, and especially to his son, Luke.