RIP Tim Russert

[Tocqueville3]

Thanks sss - you did not have to post an apology, but it shows class that you chose to do so.

Rec!

wintergreen wrote:

Very thoughtful message; delete the last four words and it would be perfect; with those last four words, and it is, well, Clintonesque...

I'll non-rec this. Everyone's heard the adage that any apology that has the word "if" or "but" in the same sentence isn't an apology. True enough in most instances. Not this time, though. To dismiss the sincerity of sss's admission that he shouldn't have said what he did by hauling out that old generality doesn't seem to me to fit here. When I see someone go a little too far out of the way to try to be cute, it reminds me of someone; I consider it to be, well, Bush League ...

I admit that I can play word games with the best of them, but I wasn't trying to do so with that post. Sometimes I will make an effort to pick and choose words and phrases carefully to say (or not say) something specific. Yesterday wasn't one of those times. I made that post sincerely.

What got me to thinking was the reaction on one of the boards on which I post when Bob Clark the director died. He directed A Christmas Story, Porky's and a few other well known movies. Late in his career, he took some paycheck jobs on some really bad films. He wasn't an A-list director, but some people, myself included, admired his talent. Others thought he was a completely talentless hack. He was a single father raising a teenage son and died in a very grisly car accident. The day he died there were some completely tasteless posts, regardless of one's opinion of his talent. Even though I'm sure none of his family or friends read the comments, they were uncalled for and spiteful.

I realized after my initial post about Russert that there were a lot of similarities. Russert was honest, a hard worker, a tremendous family man, and a man with a lot of friends. A lot of people, Mrs. SSS included, had a very high opinion of him, and, regardless of my opinion of his journalistic direction, this thread wasn't the place for this type of comment.

My first post was made from the gut, without a lot of thinking. My second was after reflection but wasn't an attempt to play word games that would be out of place in a thread like this.

I shouldn't have made the comments I did, and it's not a matter of whether anyone was offended or not. I apologize.

SSS-

Eventhough we disagree completely on most every issue my opinion of you just went up by a bazillion points. You're a good guy. "Some" people around here could use a lesson from you in humility. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

[peacock2121]

I miss Tim terribly.

That someone might not admire him never occured like a possibility to me.

[fuzzywuzzy]

I miss Tim terribly.

That someone might not admire him never occured like a possibility to me.

Yesterday, I did not get a chance to see MTP anchoed by Tom Brokaw. It was a remembrance of Tim Russert with his friends and colleagues on his MTP set.

But, by chance, fwh and I were still awake at 11:00 pm cst, and I turned the channel to MSNBC, and they replayed the morning broadcast of MTP. It was a very touching rememberance.

Tim Russert was one of us...he was approachable, did not put on airs, and was a genuine caring person.

I am sure if any of our BBs here had beaten him at NTN, he would have cheered us on. He was competitive, but, a true gentleman.

I am at a loss as to what NBC News is going to do without him.
The only reason, I got up early Sunday morning was to watch Tim question a politician in a grand style that translated what was said into plain speak.

He grilled Democrats & Republicans, alike...it didn't matter which side of the aisle that you stood on...all were treated the same.

fwh & I feel that we really knew Tim Russert...what you see, is what you get! We felt he was part of our family.

We mourn the loss of this man, and hope and pray that journalists will do right by his example, and embrace his approach to the news, politics, his love of family, friends, and country.

Kelly

[eyégor]

I miss Tim terribly.

That someone might not admire him never occurred like a possibility to me.

I will miss him as a person. I will miss him as a political analyst.

I admire his ability to achieve his ambition and his faith.

I will not miss him as a moderator or an interviewer.

I do not admire his 'thin skin' (a topic that was brought up on MTP but was avoided by most)

I have been of the opinion for the entire primary season that Russert's animus toward Clinton was directly related to her espousal of non-interest in the Presidency. (a clip of which was also on MTP)

Just because his targets were on both sides of the political spectrum does not absolve him of the 'gotcha' technique of his interviewing.

Hid badgering of Condi Rice, when she had answered his 'are you going to run?' question several times. was disgraceful - accent on the lack of grace.

I left out the comparison to David Brinkley re: the last sentence. Brinkley also ensnared politicians, but you never felt put off watching him do it.

[ghostjmf]

I guess we got to see why Brokaw retired early. I had assumed CBS pushed him out in favor of "younger/prettier", as NBC did with (huh?) Cronkite/Rather. Despite many interviews in which he said "its time to retire". Honorable people, yet they all say that even when it isn't so.

Brokaw had all his wits about him still, but a hesitancy/slowness/muffledness of speech. You can get that from any number of conditions, including Parkinson's Syndrome. Local stellar newsperson Natalie Jacobson had that in recent years; she was demoted to the 5:00pm slot, then supposedly left "of her own volition" (& was replaced by the usual dog-&-pony show).

I heard an interview recently with a radio interviewer who retired "of their own volition" when ALS gave them too-hesitant speech; in this case it really was volitional; they said they wanted their audience to remember them as they used to be, not as "someone who sounded maybe drunk".

So maybe Brokaw's retirement *was* volitional.

[Bob Juch]

I guess we got to see why Brokaw retired early. I had assumed CBS pushed him out in favor of "younger/prettier", as NBC did with (huh?) Cronkite/Rather. Despite many interviews in which he said "its time to retire". Honorable people, yet they all say that even when it isn't so.

Brokaw had all his wits about him still, but a hesitancy/slowness/muffledness of speech. You can get that from any number of conditions, including Parkinson's Syndrome. Local stellar newsperson Natalie Jacobson had that in recent years; she was demoted to the 5:00pm slot, then supposedly left "of her own volition" (& was replaced by the usual dog-&-pony show).

I heard an interview recently with a radio interviewer who retired "of their own volition" when ALS gave them too-hesitant speech; in this case it really was volitional; they said they wanted their audience to remember them as they used to be, not as "someone who sounded maybe drunk".

So maybe Brokaw's retirement *was* volitional.

You got the two TV networks exactly backwards.

Brokaw left NBC because he had enough money and wanted to retire. Same with Cronkite and CBS. Rather screwed up.