D.C. Elite Pay Tribute To Russert

Journalists, Politicians And Family Gather To Mourn The Respected Host Of "Meet The Press"

(CBS/ AP)  Tom Brokaw lifted a bottle of Rolling Rock beer in tribute to fallen colleague Tim Russert, part of a day of tributes that brought the nation's top journalists and politicians and even Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain together.

Russert, the NBC "Meet the Press" anchor who died of a heart attack Friday at the age of 58, was eulogized at his funeral and a memorial service that was televised on MSNBC.

"We are going to do it Irish style," Brokaw, who pilfered the Rolling Rock from Russert's cooler, said at the memorial service held at the Kennedy Center. "There will be some tears, some laughs, and the occasional truth."

Speakers included Maria Shriver, Mario Cuomo, Mike Barnicle and even the nun who taught Russert in the seventh grade. It ended with Russert's 22-year-old son Luke.

"He regarded a day greeted without real enthusiasm as a sadly lost opportunity," said Cuomo, the former New York governor for whom Russert worked as an aide in the early 1980s.

Shriver, California's first lady and one of the Kennedy family, recalled how Russert tried to help get her daughter into Boston College, which Luke attended.

He told her "it's competitive," she said. "You need to know people in Boston. You need to know people in the Catholic church."

Shriver had that covered, although her daughter landed on the waiting list.

NBC News anchor Brian Williams told how Russert went to the best salons for haircuts and "on the day he got it done he looked outstanding for 60 to 90 minutes."

The crowd entering the Kennedy Center heard music from Russert's iPod, including "Free Bird." Bruce Springsteen, a favorite of the rock 'n roll-loving Russert, recorded a video tribute, reports CBS News' Russ Mitchell.

Earlier, the crowd at Russert's funeral would have made a great panel on his Sunday morning news show. Obama and McCain, the two men vying to be president, sat next to each other per a request by the Russert family.

"It is not easy to preach a homily for Tim and to communicate the feelings we all share concerning this remarkable man, for he was truly one of the great communicators in American society," Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., said in his homily.

Russert also served as the Washington bureau chief for NBC News. A political insider, Russert was known for conducting tough interviews of Washington's most powerful politicians, yet he evoked an everyman quality that showed his blue-collar, Buffalo, N.Y., roots, where he grew up the son of a garbage man, reports Mitchell.

Among the dignitaries were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Among the honorary pallbearers were Williams, "Today" show host Matt Lauer and Bryant Gumbel.

The funeral service at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown was private, but a loud speaker broadcast the service to about 100 onlookers standing along the tree-lined street. A man wearing a kilt played the bagpipes as the crowd arrived, and delivered a rendition of "Amazing Grace" as Russert's casket was taken from the church.

Luke Russer gave the eulogy. His mother and Russert's widow, Maureen Orth, looked on.

"My dad was my best friend," Luke Russert said, his voice strong and clear. "To explain my bond with my father is utterly impossible to put into words."

He said that whenever he did well on a school assignment, his father would yell, "Yahoo! You smoked 'em, buddy!"

He asked the crowd to imagine a special edition of "Meet the Press" this Sunday in heaven, perhaps with a debate between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, or John F. Kennedy and Barry Goldwater. He even suggested a talk on the need for a new political party involving Teddy Roosevelt, the former president who later ran unsuccessfully for president as a member of the Bull Moose party.

"Tim Russert led with his heart, his compassion and most of all his honor," his son said. "I love you, dad, and in his words, let us all go get 'em!"

[blackyowe]

What a void was left when Tim left us for the next world.

[blackyowe]

What a void was left when Tim left us for the next world.

[blackyowe]

What a void was left when Tim left us for the next world.

[zerato-2009]

enough is enough. Given that russert was a good journalist and host of meet the press. Does he deserve all the air time he is getting? What was his accomplishments? dead presidents have gotten less air time. People that have greater accomplishments have gotten less air time. I guess the postor that said the press takes care of their own is right.

[oneworldusa]

Posted by watcher269 at 03:08 AM : Jun 19, 2008

- Tim Russert cannot be responsible for the war in/with Iraq. He wasn''t a politician, not a senator, congressman, or President, etc.

Please just honor the man for being a great son and fantastic father. He can''t speak for himself now, please just let him be.

I don''t recall ever on this board seeing anyone bothering to bring up Tim Russert in all the political discussions as someone who should have done something about Iraq, or exposed this or that, until he died, so moot point.

[watcher269-2009]

Here''s REAL News - and Russert help perpetuate this too and should be tried for war crimes also if alive.

WASHINGTON %u2014 The Army general who led the investigation into prisoner abuse at Iraq''s Abu Ghraib prison accused the Bush administration Wednesday of committing "war crimes" and called for those responsible to be held to account.

The remarks by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, who''s now retired, came in a new report that found that U.S. personnel tortured and abused detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, using beatings, electrical shocks, sexual humiliation and other cruel practices.

"After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes," Taguba wrote. "The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account."

[lamotte4]

The bottom line is, the media takes care of it''s own regardless of the circumstances,for example, Norman Robinson of WDSU in New Orleans was stopped and arrested 2 days ago for DWI after crashing his car and taking a whiz in public but did the nightly news broadcast the story? Why hell no but they did say that he was on a leave of absence. They always put the average joe,s picture and name on the news when they are arrested so give me a break. These a-sholes cover their own.

[cdfoxtrot]

I guess the bottom line with all of this is that if people like Timmy did their jobs, and if Timmy was the great journalist and great influence some think he was, he would have used his abilities to analyze and shed light on the nonsense put out by Bush & Co. that got us into "Eye-Rack". Had he, and people like him, used their media time to grill those in power, in a way journalists do in other countries, there wouldn''t have been any illegal war and we''d be so much richer and safer today. And gas probably wouldn''t cost $4+ a gallon.

[rushlimpdrug]

How stupid, what are you going to say next? That it was Walter Cronkite''''s fault we were in Viet Nam? Some of the comments here are absolutely shameful.
Posted by Puzzler125 at 10:37 PM

Ah yes, I respect walter less and less.
He read the news well with his soft voice.
Hard hitting reporter?
Not.
But a great sailor.

Walter was the first of many puppets.

Good riddance Timmy.

What''s that Lassie?

Timmy is in the well?

[dan9111]

This WAS news! Of course they should memorialize one of their own, especially someone as influential as Tim Russert! Besides, on his own network NBC, it was the last story in the newscast, so it hardly took away from more ''''important'''' stories!

Posted by nolalou

News, yes it is. What is heartless is defending the guy who consorted with and plainly condoned the murderers in our government. The pretense that media is "unbiased" is long dead. Therefore, it is only logical that any selective media outlet which spends more time paying tribute to bad people than good has taken a stand on the side of evil. The truth is plain to see. Deny it if you wish.

[cattlekate]

Timmeh was not a journalist. He was borne and created by the cable nooze powers that choose what we shall hear.

I feel no sympathy. He yammered about Clinton''s peccadilloes with a prurient and salivating breathlessness, not knowing he was party to ushering in the debacle now known and Bush&Co%u2019s looting of the US Treasury and Executive power grab.

The tributes are an attempt to ask for forgiveness of the sins of the players in the MSM.

[cdfoxtrot]

I never met Tim Russert but I know that he would have defended the small minded folks writing in.


Posted by outwest6


Actually, I suspect that Timmy wouldn''t give a rats a$$ if he heard that you or I or the other "small minded" people you talk about were dead. He''s a fu(kinG journalist! Or was. Why does he merit a week of these lame-as$ stories.

[puzzler125]

How stupid, what are you going to say next? That it was Walter Cronkite''s fault we were in Viet Nam? Some of the comments here are absolutely shameful.

[nolalou]

I''''m going to say this once. One of the media''''s biggest stories on the news tonight was about the media. Why? I thought the job of the media was to report the real news, not memorialize one of their own.
Posted by skeezix06


And I''m going to say this once, you are a selfish heartless person! This WAS news! Of course they should memorialize one of their own, especially someone as influential as Tim Russert! Besides, on his own network NBC, it was the last story in the newscast, so it hardly took away from more ''important'' stories!

[hermitdave]

A touching tribute lacking one thing. A real news reporter with guts enough to expose the fact that BIG NEWS sold out to the Military Industrial Complex. Making it possible for the Bush crime family to get away with fraud in two elections for president, plus the many lies before and after 9/11/01. Unless Americans regain a free and open press, we might as well kiss freedom goodbye.

[cntryangel22]

God Bless Tim Russert. Our hearts and prayers go out to Maureen, Luke, "Big Russ" and other family at the loss of such a beloved and strong family man. We were deeply shocked and saddened by the passing of Tim. He was such a part of our American culture, who had the gift of finding the truth from even the hard core "politicians" who were no match for his tenacity at gaining the truth. Sunday mornings will not be the same, but Tim, God has called you home and know that you will continue to live in our memories and hearts forever.

[cntryangel22]

God Bless Tim Russert. Our hearts and prayers go out to Maureen, Luke, "Big Russ" and other family at the loss of such a beloved and strong family man. We were deeply shocked and saddened by the passing of Tim. He was such a part of our American culture, who had the gift of finding the truth from even the hard core "politicians" who were no match for his tenacity at gaining the truth. Sunday mornings will not be the same, but Tim, God has called you home and know that you will continue to live in our memories and hearts forever.

[skeezix06]

I''m going to say this once. One of the media''s biggest stories on the news tonight was about the media. Why? I thought the job of the media was to report the real news, not memorialize one of their own.

[rushlimpdrug]

So when can we see the tax returns?

Why the long wait to see the tax returns?

Blah, blah, blah.

Oh, he''s catholic?

And irish too?

Well then he did good to hold down a job
that wasn''t with the mafia.

What a great tribute that he mentored Katie
Curic and Maria Shriver.

Could he have also mentored Ben Stein?

Anyway, I always thought "Timmy", as those that knew
him well called him, looked a lot like the
Peter from the show "Family Guy"

[walterm140]

Outwest, pardon me if I seem a little bitter because the honor of my country and my Flag is in the toilet, over 4,000 fine young people are dead for nothing, the Bush Adminstration trashes the law and Constitution with impunity, enriches defense contractors at the exense of a supine people, slaps its collective knee in glee over oil prices and plays many people for fools.

Tim Russert helped them do that.

Walt