Sad day for journalism

Someone passing away when it's least expected is always tough to deal with, but when I heard yesterday about the death of NBC's Tim Russert I realized sadly that the single most influential political journalist in my life would no longer be around to give us all (selfishly me) a better and most fair understanding of what's going on politically in our country. After every major political event, election or debate, I like millions of others sought the opinions of Tim Russert. This year, his analysis of the republican and democratic primaries stood above all others in my view. And, like those millions out there wondering who will make the best President, I was looking forward to Tim's analysis before November. Now, we'll have to go it alone, so to speak. My wife complains about the amount of time I spend flipping channels between MSNBC, CNN and Fox News, between the hours of 5PM to 7 PM each weekday. Much of my interest in that regard has been fueled by being able to listen to and watch journalists whom I respect and admire. Tim Russert was at the top of my list, and my evening news watching will never be the same again.