I really respected the guy. What a loss.

I'm very sorry to hear this. My condolences to his family.
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Sundays will never be the same...

Rest in peace.

total shock.. wishing his family the best in these times.

Wow. Fifty eight is way too young.

Surprising, shocking. I have neighbours who are family members. My condolences to all of them and his friends who are eulogising him now.

With this news, flooding, tornados, etc., Friday the 13th is casting quite a shadow on Fathers Day.

Wow. How awful.

My condolences to the Russert family. Rest in peace.

:( On MSNBC , he expressed how excited he was about this election. It's sad that he will miss it, and he will be missed.

Too young!

When I was watching him last Sunday, I thought that his eyes had a different look in them. My condolences.

RIP Timmy - May you be watching over this election from the big white board in the sky

Not a fan of his right-wing politics, but this is sad for his family especially right before Father's Day.

Ron @ 26:

When I was watching him last Sunday, I thought that his eyes had a different look in them. My condolences.

a coworker and i just said the same thing. sad news. my condolences to the russert family. rip tim

My thoughts are with his family. Someone said Sunday mornings will never be the same. Nope they sure won't. This is truly a sad day.

Is it usual to include the favorite sports teams in an announcement of this kind? Just curious.

We haven't watched TV in over 15 years or read newspapers in 10 - maybe things have changed.
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I feel bad about this. I grew up in a house where we all had to be quiet at 6:30pm to listen to the news. (Cronkite). There are only a few people left that have the ability to just radiate warmth, dignity and make us feel like we are being allowed to hear crucial information.

Tim Russert was like a "normal everyday kind of person" that somehow got into that major personality league. I think the last thing I will remember about him is the way we he kind of declared Obama as the democratic candidate....seems so strange that he won't be around during this election. I also liked his relationship with his dad....when he was interviewed for the series on assisted living.

I think he was one whose stature was sufficiently respected that he could speak truth to power on occasion. I am sorry for his family's great loss.

bubba @ 326:

It's an interesting event when a man is lavishly praised by Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. Whatever his politics it's clear he was a good guy who was widely respected by his colleagues and friends.

Same on some military blogs, he had respect from both the right and left. Thats high praise in a hyper charged and partisan country like this one.

Spuds @ 362:

spirittoo @ 359:

Hey kids ... this thread and it's censorship made it to last night's Mike Malloy show! Congrats C&L!

Mike Malloy quoted this site last night? I missed Malloy last night. I understand C&L sentiments about the Russert death and how they want to maintain a level of civility here. I like Mike Malloy, but on the day a person deceases, even Mike Malloy should show some liberal humanity and not bash a guy who just died hours earlier. I had issues with Mr. Russert and his show, but there is a time and place for everything. At the end of the day, the Bush administration make the decisons and I do not think anyone or any one entity would have prevented them from attacking Iraq or the impending attack on Iran.

The media in many ways is scapegoated for the decisions of the Bush administration and the American people's continual re-election of the likes of McCain and other Republicans. The media at the end of the day does not vote in Congress or make the final decisions from the Oval office. Mr. Malloy should even realize this.

There are limits to how much the media can do to stop wars, etc. Blaming Russert for the war on Iraq is quite ridiculous, for he is not the president nor did he vote on it in the U.S. Congress. People need to start to take a more sober view of government and understand who is ACTUALLY Making the policy decisions.

Attacking Mr. Russert or making the claim that C&L is "censoring" people is alsi ridiculous. There is a time and place for everything.

Attacking Russert in the hours after his passing is something I woulod expect out of cobservatives, not liberals like Mr. Malloy or other "liberals" here at C&L. Tolerance, charity, forgiveness and love are also liberal ideals.

I listened to Mike last night, and though I thought it might be a free-for-all against Russert, I thought Mike handled it with a decent amount of respect for the late Tim. He did mention C&L's moderation of comments, and he read some pointed comments about Russert from bloggers, but overall, I felt he did alright by Russert.

Agreed about Russert not being responsible for the warcupation of Iraq; his complicity or lack thereof in its sale to the US people is not the subject of the thread so I'll end it there.

RIP.

With all due respect to Tim Russert and his family, the non-stop coverage of his death on MSNBC since 4pm yesterday has been a bit too much. Andrea Mitchell is manning the phones and the famous folks keep on calling.....Allbright, Dean, maybe Santorum. Why not just fade to black for 48 hours?

Chopvac @ 346:

It's amazing the response of posters who object to even factual criticism of a man and his work.

If someone should die in the near future, such as Dick Cheney from a heart attack, I'll make an effort to repost there the comments of those who disliked my or others' words here but then attack Cheney. And I am no fan of Cheney.

"Let's not have a double standard. One standard will do just fine."
- George Carlin

It's a question of tact and timing, not a double standard. It's unethical to speak undue ill of the dead. Need anyone lionize him? No.

Need we get cheap shots in before the man has been laid to rest or mourned? He wasn't perfect, but he was human. Each of us deserves as much: time enough to be celebrated for our positives for just a while after passing.

We all have our flaws and failures. We should be held to account. He did and will be.

There are, however, times when doing so (just at that moment) is cruel, inhumane, common, and disgusting.

If we want a new kind of politics, we're going to have to adhere to a new kind of rhetoric.

You can fight Rove, or you can be like him. Good luck either way.

RIP Tim Russert. My Sunday mornings will be undeniably changed, as will election coverage.

Mo(u)rning (?) to ya too, Mudshark--

I wasn't going to listen to Mike last night just because I knew his intense dislike of Russert, and I thought it might just be a shred-fest. But I really enjoy Mike and his passion, so i thought I'd give him a chance. And (I thought) he showed some compassion for the man in death. Was he as reserved as the moderators here?--of course not. Did I make it through the show and still respect Mike for his views without taking away from my sense of loss at Russert's life--yeah. (Trust me, I was no huge fan of Tim, but hell, I even cried--just a little--when Raygun died; just a human thing I guess. And I think Mike showed he, too, is a decent guy.)

The comment about C&L's moderation was brief. Paraphrasing roughly , he said that blogs, and especially TV, were fawning all over Russert in his death, while ignoring the (fact) that he (Russert) was part of the unapologetic machinery that lead us into war. He mentioned C&L specifically as keeping the tone down on its thread; I don't believe he used the word "censored." (If I'm wrong, someone let me know...) He then read a few emails (to him) and took a few calls re: Russert. He did try to balance the conversation with remarks about respect for the dead and Tim's family, but he never got mushy. Overall, I thought he walked a pretty fair line.
[Edited, Site Monitor]

Sitemonitor--

Sorry about the double quote at #372. Not trying to see myself twice, honestly...
[ FIFY. Site Monitor]

Although Russert was part of the corporate-media-political complex that keeps Americans uninformed and ignorant, there was a moment where he helped crack the monolith.

After 9/11, newspeople were afraid to criticize the "president". In the wake of the Iraq war, Russert had an interview with the Chimperor, which actually asked him tough questions. And all Dubya could say, repeatedly, is "I'm a war preznit! I'm a war preznit!"

That interview seemed to herald a thaw in the media freeze.

The corporate elite fascists loose an effective propagandist. That is all.

"The people who were duped wanted to be duped. We're all complicit."

I was not complicit. I knew the Bushies were lying from the start, so did most of humanity. The largest single protest in history happened on 2/15/03 before the war. 3/4th of all Brits opposed the war against Iraq in Jan-Feb 03. The reason support for an unprovoked war of aggression was so high in the U.S.in early 2003 was exactly because of the actions of people like Russert. The man had blood on his hands.

What made me like him was his enthusiasm for the news he was covering,

rev_cletus @ 385:

Mark @ 383:

And why does the Washington, D.C.-New York City media so glorify Mr. Russert's death, while saddening, but do so little for our fallen military veterans?

Word.

He's one of their own. Military personnel only matter if they're newsworthy to promote propoganda since they are after all just a number.

Interesting thing about our opinions pro or con

They die with us.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Geez, it looks like I'm talking to myself now.

Condolences to his family and those who will miss him.

Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 391:

Nicole Belle @ 385:

spirittoo @ 359:

Hey kids ... this thread and it's censorship made it to last night's Mike Malloy show! Congrats C&L!

With all due respect, grow the hell up. It's not censorship on a private website to moderate comments. People like you really get on my last nerve. The man died hours earlier and you PRESUME that you have the right to besmirch his memory on someone else's site? Really? How fucking rude.

So I'm curious: do you also go over to other people's homes to insult them and disrespect them? Do you think nothing of picking fights with others at someone else's home? Because that's what you're doing. I honestly couldn't care less about how you feel about Russert nor your rather narcissistic need to display your hate for the world to see. This is John Amato's site and you play by John Amato's rules. And that goes for Malloy as well.

Do you not realize that for the 350+ comments on this thread that there are 100s of 1000s of others who did not comment? Do you not realize that in those numbers are people only too happy to hop on our bandwidth to prove that liberals are hateful, nasty little buggers who can't even show common courtesy for the recently deceased? Do you presume that you have the right to give them the leeway to do that?

Seriously, have you no decency?

Good comment Nicole. I think that is what differentiates us with the right as a whole. I think that is one of the reasons we lost the last two elections. We don’t like to go to the places the right wing goes. Sometimes we do but most of us hold our noses when we do. While there is plenty to complain about Russert this is not the place and I assume that maybe 2 or 3 % of the posts were out of line by out standards. BUT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT KEEPING the discussion civil is unbelievable to me.
As far as Mike Malloy is concerned I like him. I thinks he goes over the line more than I am comfortable but at the same time I am glad he does because the left needs that sometimes to counter Savage and Limbaugh and the Gibsons and the Becks and the Hannitys and the O’Reillys and there are just so many of them.
Not that you need it or want it but I just wanted to give you a pat on the back Nicole. You guys and girls do a hell of a job!!

Yep. It's why I'll always get my news and perspective here first, and then verify it from other sources later.

And also:

Rest In Peace, Mr. Russert.

You were loved.

Melissa @ 342:

Dr. (terrorist fist jab) Matt @ 28:

Not a fan of his right-wing politics, but this is sad for his family especially right before Father's Day.

Right-wing politics? Not that politics should even be brought up at a time like this, but Mr. Russert was actually a Democrat. And a damn fine one, I might add.

I shed tears over very few "celebrity" deaths, but this one brought tears to my eyes. You will be missed, Mr. Russert. I am saddened to know that we will miss your voice throughout the remainder of this historical election period.

Would/could you please state the evidence of Tim Russert being a "damn fine Democrat"? As a "journalist" I'm sure Tim would want you to elaborate, given your knowledge. Thanks.

Blue Knuckle @ 369:

Chopvac @ 346:

It's amazing the response of posters who object to even factual criticism of a man and his work.

If someone should die in the near future, such as Dick Cheney from a heart attack, I'll make an effort to repost there the comments of those who disliked my or others' words here but then attack Cheney. And I am no fan of Cheney.

"Let's not have a double standard. One standard will do just fine."
- George Carlin

It's a question of tact and timing, not a double standard. It's unethical to speak undue ill of the dead. Need anyone lionize him? No.

Need we get cheap shots in before the man has been laid to rest or mourned? He wasn't perfect, but he was human. Each of us deserves as much: time enough to be celebrated for our positives for just a while after passing.

Yours is a blatantly false statement. No one attacked him or made "cheap shots", and no one has said, "He's dead, good," as was said about Falwell by many posters. Your silence on other people is quite interesting.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/05/15/jerry-falwell-1933-2007/
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/crooks/100117317

And to reiterate, I was no fan of Falwell.

We all have our flaws and failures. We should be held to account. He did and will be.

There are, however, times when doing so (just at that moment) is cruel, inhumane, common, and disgusting.

No. What you're doing is rationalizing. How soon someone's work can be criticized is clearly becoming dependent on how the person is viewed. Go look up the comments on the deaths of several rightwingers in the past few years - Ronald Reagan, Jerry Falwell, William F. Buckley, among others. Criticism of their lives' work came immediately from their political opponents.

Also of note is your ignoring the key words: criticism of their lives' work. Many comments about Ronald Reagan, Jerry Falwell, and William F. Buckley were not character assassination, and none of the criticisms of Russert on this page were either. Don't be duplicitous or dishonest, leave that to the republicans as they do when their political opponents die, impugning characters and making false statements after people's deaths or illnesses. Or have you forgotten only a few weeks ago the number of tasteless remarks by the right when Ted Kennedy appeared to be on death's door?

If we want a new kind of politics, we're going to have to adhere to a new kind of rhetoric.

You can fight Rove, or you can be like him. Good luck either way.

RIP Tim Russert. My Sunday mornings will be undeniably changed, as will election coverage.

Another dishonest statement. You're racking them up, this time by employing one of Rove's tactics in making false assertions about the messenger instead of evaluating the message.

I'm asking that everyone be held to the same standard, that factual criticism is fair but making false statements about those who can't defend themselves isn't fair. One has to wonder why you would object to that.

You may want the same standard for all, but yours amounts to both sides saying, "They can't criticize our guys but we can criticize theirs".

He asked the tough questions, and he asked them of everyone. He will be missed! My sincere condolences to his family. What will I wake up to on Sunday mornings now?

I've posted a lot of critical and pretty mean things about Tim over the years, but moments like this make you realize however catty and nasty you get, we're all just human beings, trying to live life. Nobody who was ever critical of Tim Russert ever wished this upon him. Like him or not, he was the guy a lot of America looked to for commentary and advice. So it's a sad day and for me I'm reminded to try to get a little life in every day.

Only the good die young; even in journalism. Sad day.

Sad news... I hope his family can be comforted in this time of trouble.

This is a battering ram to the face. He was a major cog, and you can't help but feel for the Russerts and the MSNBC crew.

Far too young. :(

I now realize that the accolades of his colleagues who are essentially saying Russert was one of the best we had in the field is a way to try to help absolve themselves for their shortcomings. The bar is truly set quite low.

I even heard the old chestnut, "he was a guy you wanted to have a beer with."

Boy, would I (just to unload).

Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 374:

There will be a time and a place to register complaints about Russert's complicity and enabling in things that the Bush administration has done for the past 7 1/2 years. Just not here on this thread of comments.
I think Russert was a good family person. A good person. He cared about people. He cared about people he did not know. He cared about his friends no matter what disagreements he may have had. For these reasons I cannot accept that he was a Republican (in fact he was a democrat) or was in bed with neocons. Republicans and neocons could never hold the values Russert held. Did I have problems with Russert? Absolutely. I'll save my disagreements for the right time and let loose. This thread is what it is. If you don't like it move on. Nothing for yoiu here.

Please let me know when and where that will be so I can post on it.

Oops, the comment that used to be 37 has been removed. Van, my comment wasn't aimed at you.

[FIFY-Sitemonitor]

While I was not a huge fan of his commentary, I appreciated his love of his work and the love he had for family. His book "Wisdom of our Fathers", was immensly touching and something I will remember him for.

He left us too soon.

I have to agree with Biggus - whatever you may have thought of him as a journalist, today is not the day for that. Whatever he did for a living, he was still a man who had a family and who died far too early.